In A New York Minute
by Lara Cox
Summary: After seven weeks together, Jack and Renee have gone different ways. But unexpectedly, they get dragged to solve a major national crisis. In a New York minute everything changes - Second part of the "Everything went downhill from there" series.
1. In a New York minute, the introduction

Author's note:_ Thanks for all the great support! I'm putting a lot of effort in this story. I'm glad to see people like it. Getting reviews truly make my day. I'm also very open for questions, suggestions and constructive criticisms. _

_In that spirit, I decided to take a good advice I got from a reviewer. Someone suggested I should split the story because the main topics had changed. I thought that was correct. So now, "Everything went downhill from there" is a series with three parts. (A 'part three' will be written eventually and will take place after the crisis in day 8 passes)_

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART ONE: A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Summary:** After seven weeks together, Jack and Renee have gone different ways. But everything can change in a New York minute. Unexpectedly, they get dragged into solving a major national crisis. As the world falls apart, he struggles to save her from herself - Second part of the "Everything went downhill from there" series.

**Previously:** Jack blames himself for Renee "turning into him" when they first met. After weeks of dating they happily planed to move to L.A. together. Everything changed when Renee learned she was pregnant against all odds but the pregnancy turned out to be non-viable. Feeling devastated, she left Jack in the middle of the night, without telling him anything.

President Allison Taylor's bold peace initiative will be negotiated at the U.N. shortly.

**Disclaimer:** The show it's not mine. Neither are the characters. Damn it!

**CHAPTER 1:**

**IN A NEW YORK MINUTE, THE INTRODUCTION **

In only one day, life as he knew it could be over. It always took twenty four hours for everything to be turned upside-down. Jack Bauer could begin a day in a certain place but end it very far from where he'd started it. Things could fall part completely. Or they could simply go from bad to worse. But it only took one day.

It always started the same way. It started with someone summoning him to do something vital for his country and with him jumping into doing what was necessary, completely oblivious of the fact that in twenty four hours his life would be radically different. It was at the end when he realized he would never who he'd been on the day before.

While he was still in the center of the hurricane, he believed once he solved the crisis at hand he would pick up his life exactly where he had left it. He tried to recall vividly the day before as if that could somehow bring it back. Because even if the day before had been a crappy one, the day after was prone to be so much worse.

But he could never go back to the life he had once known. Once he was dragged into solving some major national disaster, there was no going back. As soon as he agreed to get the job done, he was already in the day after.

**YEAR 2018 – May 20****th**

**7 AM - ****Chelsea, New York City – Jack's apartment **

_Jack saw a woman pushing Renee to the Hudson River. And even though she was an awesome swimmer, Renee began drowning helplessly. She was trying desperately to swim to the surface but couldn't. When Jack rushed to her rescue, the other woman stopped him, grabbing his arm from behind. Jack turned around to fight this stranger. But he stopped dryly in shock before giving the first punch. This other woman looked exactly like Renee. But if Renee was drowning then who was this other woman? And why did they look like identical twins? The only difference was that this other woman had an evil and cold expression, too similar to Nina's. Jack had no time to find out what was going on. He had to save the real Renee. So he fought the impostor fiercely. _

Jack woke up startled and soaking in sweat. He groaned when he looked at his watch. He had only slept for two hours and a half. He'd fallen asleep when his exhaustion finally knocked him down somewhere after the tenth hour on a road of watching whatever crap was on TV. Knowing there was no way he could go back to sleep, he dragged himself to the kitchenette to have some coffee.

As the caffeine started to kick in, he started analyzing that crazy nightmare. The meaning was pretty obvious. He knew Renee was her own worst enemy. He knew that since he heard about Alan Wilson. And he confirmed it the second he heard about her failed suicide attempt. At some point Renee started walking down a very self destructive path. He had been down that road too, and for far too long. Jack was still convinced that Renee's self-loathe had to do with everything that happened the day she met him. Renee hated herself because those damned twenty four hours she'd spent living like he used to. Jack recalled that when he was getting detox she told him: _"everything I did that day, everything I was that day… It was all already on me when I met you"_. Regardless of her words, Jack knew better than anybody what such a day like that one could do to a person.

God knew he had tried to rescue her. Maybe not back then, as he should have, but for the past two months. Partly because saving people was a key element of his nature, but mainly because he cared so much about her. He kept wondering what had gone wrong. How could she leave him like that? What kind of person dumps someone using a damn post-it? And what happened to "You jump, I jump, Jack"? She had seemed to be doing fine for a while. She had acted like she cared about him and wanted to be with him. Obviously all that time she had been pretending. That much was clear to Jack now. She had faked everything they had during those seven weeks.

Jack had tried calling her so they could at least talk like adults. He called her once right after realizing she was gone and three more times that same afternoon. Then he called her again twice the following day. But she never bothered answering the phone or calling him back. She was ditching his calls like she had done after cutting her wrists. And that comparison kept stinging his mind. What if she needed him? He still cared about her. As pissed as he was at her, he still cared. He couldn't help it.

But he had to stop thinking about her. Once he finished his coffee, Jack practically threw the mug into the sink. He was suddenly furious at himself. He felt so credibly pathetic. He was feeling like a chick, which was driving him insane. He couldn't stop thinking about Renee but had to get her off his mind. She was the one who left. She chose to walk away from him without even a decent goodbye. She had betrayed him.

He needed some serious distraction. At 5 PM he was supposed to leave for L.A. but his last moments in New York seemed endless. He took his cell phone and called Kim, who knew it was him because of her caller ID. "Hi, dad. How are you?"

"Hi, sweetheart. I'm fine. Listen, what if Teri comes over and I take her to the zoo?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, she loves the Bronx Zoo; she should see it one last time before we have to leave" And he knew spending some time with his granddaughter would cheer him up.

**4 PM **

The trip to the zoo had been quite bear-intense. This week little Teri had an obsession with bears, which Kim had forgotten to mention. So Jack spent most the visit to the zoo taking his grandkid from the black bears to the polar bears. But it had been really fun. He adored spending time with that amusing child. But he felt exhausted. The lack of sleep was catching up with him. So he fell asleep on the couch while Teri was quietly watching her cartoons, holding her new stuffed polar bear.

The little girl got bored after a short while. She wanted to watch a different cartoon. Since her grandpa was sleeping, she took the bear and used its nose to caress his cheek with it as she called his name. "Jack?"

Jack woke out startled from the same Renee-related nightmare. He snapped back to reality fast and saw little Teri giggling sweetly. That innocent child didn't know how close she'd come to lose an eye just then. What if it had been a nightmare about China? But he couldn't explain a three year old what his past had done to his mind. So he let it go and told her "Sweetheart, we already talked about this, remember? You are supposed to call me grandpa"

Renee was now gone for reasons the grownups refused to explain clearly, but little Teri still remembered one lesson she had learned from her. "You don't look like a grandpa"

Jack recalled sadly the moment Renee unwillingly taught Teri that. But his granddaughter was too adorable. The kid was the only one who could put a smile on his face these days. So Jack grinned at the sweet little girl. "I couldn't agree with you more"

"The cartoon that's on is boring" Teri then complained.

"Well, we'll find another one" Jack said picking up the remote and switching channels.

He landed on a news channel, where they were talking about President Taylor's peace agreement. One reporter was calling it "the boldest diplomatic initiative we've seen in a generation" and explained that it could actually be the foundation for real peace in the Middle East. Then a female reporter pointed out "The President is certainly betting her legacy on the success of these negotiations".

Jack couldn't help to hear an alarm going off deep inside him. He recalled what Renee had commented once upon reading about the negotiations on the news paper. _"They won't let this happen. In the IRK some might see this as if they were handing themselves to us on a silver plate. There must be a lot of people over there pissed as hell with Hassan about this."_

He couldn't ignore the fact that what was happening today at the U.N. was like a magnet for the kind of people he had spent a lifetime fighting. But he told himself that it wasn't his problem. It wasn't his job anymore.

Little Teri already knew something very important about Grandpa Jack: he didn't look like a grandpa, but when she called him grandpa anyway he did whatever she wanted him to do. So, when she started to get bored again, she simply protested pointing her little finger at the TV while saying "Grandpa! This isn't a cartoon!"

"Ok… ok" Jack clucked amazed. His granddaughter never missed a trick. He soon found a cartoon Teri liked better.

Despite of the fact that he didn't look like a grandpa, it was an unquestionable truth that Jack Bauer was extremely proud of that title. He was truly looking forward to moving to California with his family. It wounded him that Renee had chosen not be a part of his life. But he would have to learn to live with that disappointment.

**4. 20 PM**

Jack was busy finishing the packing he still had left to do. Then he heard somebody knocking softly at his door. He turned around and stared at the door troubled. That couldn't be anything good. Just for a second, he thought it could be her. But that wasn't likely. He approached the door, almost fearing what he might find behind it, and looked through the peephole. Definitely bad news. Jack's old world was sneaking into his new one. He opened the door and stared somberly at the intruder. "Victor. What are you doing here? How the hell did you find me?"

"I was always resourceful, Jack, that's what you liked about me" Victor said without giving a real answer.

Jack made sure nobody else had followed that thug. The last thing he needed was that guy standing outside even longer, like a Bauer-lives-here neon sign. "Get in here, take a seat" Felling pissed off, Jack dragged Victor inside and locked the door. "What happened?"

"I need help" Victor stated even though his wound from a gunshot made that much pretty obvious.

"You need am ambulance" Jack pointed out, trying to do the smart thing.

"No! Don't call one. That's what he's waiting for. He's listening to emergency channels"

"Who?"

"Listen to me, Jack. I have information"

This situation already had "impending catastrophe" clearly written all over it. Jack could read the huge warning signs as if they were Broadway billboards. His mind told him to stay away from it. "The best thing I can do for you, Victor, is get you to an ambulance. I'm out. I don't work for the government anymore."

But Victor knew that had never stopped Jack Bauer before. "Well, this you're gonna want to hear"

"Why?" Jack was getting frustrated. Why him? Why was it always him?

"Why? Because you are the guy who always does the right thing" Said Victor trying to sound sincere and knowing he had to appeal to Jack's massive ego. Jack gave him a serious look that clearly meant just-cut-the-crap-already. So Victor added "There is a big hit going down"

"On whom?"

"President Hassan, at the UN. He's getting taken out."

"When?"

"Today, before he can sign this thing with Taylor" Victor was pleased to see Jack's horrified look. "See? I told you you'd be interested"

Jack knew it would be bad on many levels if that assassination actually took place. If Victor was right, somebody had to stop it from happening. "How do you know this?"

"I'm the one who got the hitter in the country. I set him up with what he needs" Victor admitted.

Jack wasn't even surprised, and he could easily guess the rest. "And then he tried to take you out"

"Look, Jack, you are the only one in CTU I've ever done business with. I need you to call them. Vouch for me. So I can cut a deal" Since Jack just looked unaffected, Victor tried to stand up and pleaded "Come on, Jack"

"Stay on your seat!" Jack ordered as he pushed Victor harshly back to the chair.

"Look, I swear this is real. Someone is trying to make sure this peace agreement does not happen"

"I'm not doing anything until you give me your weapon" Jack said seriously, knowing Victor was desperate enough to comply. But as soon as he got Victor's gun, Jack held it against his neck. Jack Bauer was sleep deprived, had just been dumped and really wanted to go to California. So, if Victor wasn't telling the truth… God help him. Jack gave him one serious warning, "You better not be screwing with me"

"I'm not, I swear I'm not" Victor said honestly.

"This hitter, what's his name?" Jack didn't get an answer. So he yelled loudly on Victor's face, "Who is the hitter?"

"I don't know his name. It's Russian or something"

"Not good enough!" Jack barked, with the gun still pressed against Victor's neck. "Who is the hitter?"

"Look, I know how to find him and stop him before he makes the hit. But I'm not saying another word before I make my deal"

Jack was infuriated. Victor had caused a problem of an immense proportion, and then had come to him for a solution. But now the thug refused to say anything that could actually solve the mess. He considered for a moment getting the information right then and there. He definitely knew how. But that would mean going back to his old life. And he wanted more than anything to move on. He wanted others to handle this mess. Therefore, he just gave Victor a look full of hate and grunted "You are lucky I'm retired"

But deep down Jack wondered: Was he really retired? Had he ever been retired? Could he ever be?

Problems kept showing up at his doorstep, even when he tried his best to avoid them. Whenever he was out, he just got pulled back in. But this time, he would draw a line. He would put his foot down. He was only going to make sure Victor got safely to the CTU. That would be all.

**5.25 PM – CTU, NY**

It took less than two hours for one already bad situation to get worse.

Jack got Victor to the helipad where the CTU chopper was. It wasn't easy. But he completed that task. However seconds later said chopper was hit by a missile. And Victor died before giving enough information. They only knew now that somebody close to President Hassan was involved in the assassination plot. And Brian Hastings, the CTU NY director, was sure the inside conspirator was a reporter called Meredith Reed. Nevertheless years of experience told Jack that if Reed had been caught so easily, she was probably innocent. Besides, Chloe had good reasons to believe Reed was being framed. That meant President Hassan was still in serious danger and, by extension, so was the entire peace process. Meanwhile CTU was completely stuck following a false lead.

Under those circumstances, there was only one thing Jack could say, "I hate this place"

Jack hated what this place had done to him, to his life and to the lives of everyone he touched. He was ready to go to L.A with Kim and her family, his family. As he was exiting the building, he ran into Chloe, who was understandably upset about the entire situation with Hastings. "He's not gonna help, is he?" she said as she took a folder he handed her. Then insisted "We have to follow this lead. If they have the wrong person…"

But Jack interrupted her dryly. His friend was starting to sound like the old him. She was obsessed believing it was up to her to fix whatever was wrong, even when she couldn't. "Chloe, I did what you asked. I talked to Hastings. If he doesn't wanna listen, that's his mistake. But it's not my problem. To be honest with you, it's not yours either"

Chloe could hardly believe it was really Jack saying that. So she kept pushing him. "What about the threat against Hassan? What about the peace conference? Doesn't any of that matter to you?"

"What if Hastings knows something you don't?" Jack snapped at Chloe. But when he saw the sad look in her eyes he felt really bad and softened his tone. "I'm sorry. Kim is waiting for me outside. I have to go"

"Jack!" She called desperately for her friend. She hated having to do this, but Jack had left her with no other choice. She would have to remind him of how much he owed her. And both of them knew he owed her big. "You've come to me for help many times. And I've never let you down. You've asked me to do crazy things! And I've always taken your side. Please, help me. I can't do this by myself"

Jack looked at her sadly, indeed felling like an asshole. Chloe was a friend of unquestionable loyalty. She had been amazing over the years. But he couldn't go back to a life that had destroyed him and everyone he cared about. "I'm sorry. I can't. Not this time. Not me"

**5.35 PM**

Little Teri was showing her grandpa a picture she made of her entire family, Grandpa Jack included. That was exactly what he wanted. That picture reminded him of what was truly important. Then Kim asked to talk alone with him. And Jack could sense the gravity in her tone. He told little Teri to go with her dad, and after he was alone with Kim, he asked "What's wrong?"

"I spoke to Chloe. She told me what's happening"

"Chloe called you?" He found that very hard to believe.

"No. I called her because you didn't tell me what was going on. So I decided to find out for myself. I know there is a threat against the peace conference and the CTU might have the wrong suspect. What's happening?"

"Chloe had me make her case to the head of CTU. He wasn't convinced. And he thinks he's got the right person"

"But if he's wrong then there's still someone inside the UN who's working with this assassin?"

"That's what Chloe thinks"

"And what do you think?" Kim asked rhetorically. It was plain for her to see that her dad knew Chloe was right.

"I think it's not my problem" He repeated that it wasn't his problem for the third time in less than an hour. He was trying hard to convince himself of that.

Kim was astonished by his answer. Since when her father believed something like what was going on wasn't his problem? She could hardy recognize him. "Dad!"

"What?" He asked with a hint of frustration on his voice. Why everybody kept trying to convince him of doing something that was such a terrible idea? His work for the CTU had destroyed everyone he loved. And it had ultimately turned him into the rotten man who couldn't help Renee when she still had a chance, a year ago. Now he had to forget about her for good. Moving to L.A and be with his family would help him to do that.

"I don't believe you. I've never known you to walk away from something like this. If you have to stay, that's all right. You're not letting me down. I understand."

But this wasn't about not letting his daughter down. It was about opening a new chapter in his life, a chapter without death and tragedies. He had lost Renee. But he could still have his family, which he treasured. And he wanted to embrace it tightly. So he assured his daughter "Sweetheart, I wanna go with you"

Kim truly hated that she couldn't protect her father. Problems were always chasing him. She wanted him to avoid them. But now she truly understood that if he walked away, if he chose not to be a hero, he would be killing a huge part of himself. "I know you do. And there is nothing I want more than you to come with us. I've been waiting so long for this day. We both have. But if something terrible happens, and you could have done something to stop it, I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself."

All that time, Chloe had been staring at him sadly through the glass from inside CTU. Jack looked at his friend and felt like she was shooting guilt-rays at him with her eyes.

Kim was right. He couldn't walk away. Deep down Jack had known it all along. His brain kept sending desperate warnings, telling him not get involved. But his instinct was so much stronger than his better judgment. His heart could never live with it if he walked away. It simply wasn't who he was. He had to step up and fight fiercely to prevent something terrible from happening. Not because it was his job, but because it was a part of his nature.

"As soon as I'm finished here, I will get on a plane and I will be in Los Angeles, I promise" And Jack seriously meant to keep that promise. As he had done many times before, he would step up to help with the crisis at hand. Then he would go back to the place from which he had started. He didn't have Renee Walker. But he had a daughter who loved him and one adorable granddaughter who worshiped him. That was definitely a good place, he wanted to stay there. He promised to himself to head straight back to that good place after doing what he had to do.

What Jack Bauer failed to notice was that, once he got dragged into solving some major national disaster, there was no going back. He'd never be the same person he had been on the day before. As soon as he agreed to get the job done, he was already in the day after.

**7.10 PM – Newark Airport – New Jersey **

Renee had to go to the bathroom and change her hygienic towel for a clean one. The doctor had warned her that some minor bleeding was to be expected and could last a few days. Luckily, it seemed now to be slowly subsiding. It had been six days. Six days of feeling absolutely empty inside. The procedure had been quick, and they kept her in the hospital only for a few hours afterwards. Then she was free to go. She was supposed to go back for a follow up in another week, but she knew that wasn't gonna happen.

After washing her hands and her face, she redid her make-up and went back to wait for her plane, which was delayed. First, she would go to Rome, Italy. Once there she would take a plane Berlin to start a new life. Not that she was actually excited with the whole idea. But it was the right thing to do.

It suddenly hit her that Jack was probably already on a flight to L.A. She wished so badly she could be with him. But she couldn't be the woman he needed her to be, as painful as it was for her to acknowledge that fact. She was a complete mess. Jack already had enough problems in his life. He would be better off without her.

Renee was startled by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID. It was a number she didn't recognize. She thought for a moment about not picking up at all. But it could be her contact from Europe to inform her about some change of plans, or to give her further instructions. "Yeah?"

"Hello, is this Renee Walker?" Asked politely a feminine voice Renee didn't recognize.

"Yeah?" Renee said doubtfully. Who could be looking for her?

"Miss. Walker, this is Dana Walsh, I work for CTU New York. I got your number from the FBI"

Instantly, Renee's back straightened. All her muscles were tense. What was going on? What could they possibly want from her? She felt the urge to hang up. But instead, in a sharp tone she asked "Why?"

"Twenty minutes ago there was an assassination attempt of President Hassan. He was being evacuated from the U.N. But there was a bomb planted on his evacuation route. It went off. He was hurt, but not killed" Dana Walsh explained all this quickly, going straight to the important matters.

Renee wasn't even surprised to hear that, but she just didn't understand why this woman was calling her. She said sounding pissed off "So what?"

Dana was momentarily taken aback by that reaction. "President Hassan is the key to achieve…"

But Renee cut her off dryly. "I know who President Hassan is, Ms. Walsh. What I don't know is why you are calling me to give me a news flash, when clearly you have a peace process to save"

Dana took a deep breath trying to be patient. They needed Walker, with or without crappy attitude. So she delivered the rest of the information in a professional manner. "Ms. Walker, the assassin had tattoos on his body indicating he was a member of a Russian crime syndicate operating in New York. And so were two other men also involved in the assassination plot. These tattoos could be an important lead. We need to figure out what they mean, how the Russians could be involved and why."

Renee's features darkened. But she tried to keep a casual tone. "What does it have to do with me?"

"You worked undercover for almost two years inside a Russian gang. We need you to come to CTU as a consultant on this matter."

Renee could hear the sound of hundredths of alarms going off inside her brain. She wanted nothing to do with this mess. "Ms. Walsh, you'll have to call somebody else. I'm not currently available"

But Dana was determined to get that former agent on board. She knew that would impress Mr. Hastings. And she had to cause a very good impression to protect her big secret. "The FBI gave me your name saying you are the best expert on this matter. No agent has ever gotten as close to a Russian crime syndicate as you have. We need all the information we can get about those people. Ms. Walker, you know what's at stake here."

Renee could sense by Dana's tone that CTU was fully in crisis mode, and with good reason. Whoever was behind the failed hit on Hassan wouldn't give up so easily. The entire peace process was in severe peril. The fact that they were summoning her to help suddenly made her feel flattered. She wasn't totally worthless. She had knowledge nobody else had. Nobody knew the Russians as well as she did.

Renee realized she had two choices: she could run away like a pathetic loser or she could help the CTU with something important. All she had to do was give the information they needed and that only she had. This could be her chance to do at least one thing right. She was damaged and broken on so many levels. But what they were now asking from her now was the one thing she could do.

She really had no choice.

"I'm at Newark airport, how do I get to the CTU?"

"A chopper will pick you up ASAP I'll call you back when I have the exact pick-up point"

After hanging the phone, Renee took one very deep breath. What was she really getting herself into?

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

**(Please, tell me what you think. Honest reviews are always welcomed!)**


	2. Two can play that game

Author's note: Thank you all so much for the great support! Please, keep those reviews coming. Since this doesn't make me win any money, reviews are all I have. I really wanna know what you think.

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Renee was pregnant but it was a non- viable pregnancy. After having a nervous meltdown, she decided to leave Jack, without telling him anything, because she feels she's too damaged and he deserves better. When Jack was leaving to L.A, he learned that President Hassan is in danger, therefore so is the peace process. Jack has to stay in New York helping CTU. When members of the Russian mob turn out to be involved in the assassination plot, CTU summons a former FBI agent who knows a lot about Russian mobsters: Renee Walker.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 2: **

**TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME**

**YEAR 2018 – May 20****th**

**07:19:54****PM- CTU NY headquarters**

Jack was back at CTU with agent Cole Ortiz. Now President Hassan was safe and they knew the person who was truly behind the conspiracy was Omar Hassan's own brother, Farahd Hassan. So Jack was sure his job was done. CTU could take it from there. As soon as he got debriefed he would try to catch the last fight to Los Angeles. Before he had to go, he shook hands with Agent Cole Ortiz and they said goodbye as if they were old friends.

Meanwhile, Chloe watched them through the glass from inside CTU, feeling deeply worried about Jack. She had just learned about Dana Walsh summoning Renee Walker to help. Chloe was aware of the fact that Renee had inexplicably left him in the middle of the night. So she wondered whether she should tell him his former girlfriend would be in the building soon. After he greeted her, she only told him sincerely "I'm glad you're ok"

"Thanks, me too" Jack said as he kept walking to give his briefing.

Then Chloe wisely decided Jack should have all the information, so he wouldn't be surprised by an awkward accidental encounter with Renee. She began explaining from the beginning "We ID'd the assassin using your video footage. We believe he's been working for one of the Russian Syndicates here"

"Any idea which one?" Jack asked as he kept walking, unsure of the implications of that information.

"Not yet. But we are bringing someone in to brief us" Chloe replied getting a bit uncomfortable.

"Good" He said relieved that everything was at least being handled correctly now. He could finally go home.

"Jack…" Due the urgency of her tone, Jack stopped walking and turned around to face her. Chloe then dropped what she knew would be a huge bomb on him. "It's Renee"

"What?" Jack was absolutely stunned. That wasn't possible. How come she was even involved in this mess? His shock suddenly gave place to a mixture of anger and confusion. "Why?"

"Six years ago she worked undercover with the Russian mob. FBI says she's still one of the best experts they have." Chloe explained feeling truly awkward. Then she asked tentatively "Has she returned your calls?"

"No". Jack said casually, trying to pretend he had totally accepted the situation.

"Well, she should be landing in any minute" Chloe informed thinking Jack would be interested to know that.

But since Renee rejected him so coldly, Jack didn't want to see her again. "Look, Chloe, She made it very clear she wants nothing to do with me. I have to respect that. So, don't tell her I'm here, please."

"Are you sure? Maybe if she sees you, she'll explain herself"

"If she wanted to give an explanation, she should have done it when I called her. Now I'd rather not see her"

Then he made quickly his way upstairs to the room where he had to write the briefing. In reality, he missed Renee and longed to see her again. But she left him after two months of being together, after promising to move with him to California. He had to get over her. Leaving to L.A. and forget about her was the only thing he could do.

**07:27:14**

From the chopper, Renee could see the place of the recent explosion. She was getting more and more nervous. For the millionth time in ten minutes she wondered what she was getting herself into. She had agreed to help CTU out of duty. But suddenly New York was scaring her. The many calamities that had occurred to her were like hamsters running around her head. As she looked at Manhattan's gorgeous skyline, all Renee could see were buildings collapsing, Russian mobsters, and blood coming from her womb. In other words: a lifetime of pain that had turned her into a pathetic woman who was not good enough to be with Jack.

Chloe was waiting for the chopper to land on the helipad, unsure of what to expect. She knew Renee Walker had suffered some sort of nervous breakdown and then dated Jack for seven weeks but left him abruptly. But the data analyst was definitely not prepared for the woman who climbed down the helicopter. Renee's expression was beyond serious. The former agent looked haunted. Chloe approached her trying to be as nice as possible "Hey, Renee, nice to see you". But she got no response. Feeling truly uncomfortable, she quickly led the new arrival to the elevator that would take them to the offices.

Renee didn't mean to be rude. She was just too overwhelmed. She hadn't expected to see Jack's best friend. But as soon as she did, all she could think of was Jack. It wasn't until they reached the door of the elevator, that she could finally mutter something. "Didn't know you were back at CTU"

"Yeah, Morris lost his job a year ago. I asked to be reinstalled and this is where they assigned me" Renee just nodded, clearly not interested at all. Chloe was extremely uncomfortable with all that silence. She was sensing so much coldness and darkness from the other woman that it was giving her the creeps.

**7.23 PM**

Soon, Renee was at the conference room explaining Chloe O'Brian and Dana Walsh the meaning of the tattoos, as digital photos of them were displayed on a big screen. She was being professional. "The stars mean these men were part of the criminal elite. Vory v zakone" Then she focused on one tattoo of three spires over three big tears. "This one spent time in a Siberian prison camp: IK-10. The number of spires means length of sentence."

"Three years?" Dana asked, sounding like she was asking rhetorically.

"Three life terms" Renee corrected her, then quickly added the obvious. "Must have escaped" But next she noticed one particular Tattoo she hadn't expected to see. "Now these, broken cross… same on all three. Here, here and here." It was so strange. She knew what they meant, but it wasn't possible… those men couldn't be…

"So what does it mean?" Brian Hastings made that question out of the blue, after walking in unannounced. The stare Renee gave him clearly meant and-who-the-hell-are-you? So he introduced himself "Brian Hastings, director of CTU. I appreciate that you came in." and then went fast back to business "So what does it mean?"

"It means you can break our arms, you can break every bone in our body. We'll never talk. It's supposed to be the symbol for a group called Red Square." That was the strange part. Not that she cared much though. She was merely stating facts to do her job correctly. Compared to the others, she felt like a zombie on sedatives.

"Supposed to be?" Hastings asked.

"We tried to find them and never got close. A lot of rumors that they're ex-military, special forces, intelligence, whatever. I'm not sure they actually exist." Renee explained indifferently.

Hastings rushed to correct her. "They exist, Ms. Walker. And we need to find them"

Renee had failed to prove the existence of the Red Square but that group was real. So she was essentially even a much bigger letdown than she had thought. Making a huge effort to maintain her apparent composure, Renee looked at Hastings a bit skeptically. "Why?"

"You're aware of the attack in midtown today?" Hasting asked in a condescending way.

Was he seriously asking her that? She had been summoned to help because of the attack. Wasn't her awareness of it sort of implied? She replied indicating clearly with her tone that his question was stupid. "You mean the smoking crater by the UN? Yeah, it was hard to miss."

"Well, we believe it's just the beginning, and that the group responsible is in possession of unsecured nuclear materials. Now Dana asked you here today to brief on background. But I have a much bigger ask" He said getting closer to her. Renee was already dreading this. "You were undercover for nearly two years with the Russian mob. Your cover's still intact." Hastings then tried to read Renee's expression. Obviously she knew where he was going.

Renee was overwhelmed with fear and disbelief. It all seemed truly bizarre. Although she made her best to keep a calm demeanor, she couldn't help to raise her eyebrows in shock and then blink few times anxiously. "What are you saying exactly? Are you... are you asking me to go back in?"

Hastings asked Chloe and Dana to leave the room. Once he was alone with Renee, he confirmed "I wouldn't be asking if it weren't important, but yes, I want you to go back in".

"And this doesn't seem in the least bit. I don't know, ironic to you?" She had messed up things so badly that she could hardly believe they would trust her with something so vital.

"I know that you left the FBI under difficult circumstances"

"Difficult doesn't even begin to describe it" She pointed out rapidly, showing slightly the resent and ache she still felt over the way she'd left the FBI. The wounds of that day were still open, plus she had a whole set of new ones.

"I can get you your badge back." Hastings made an offer he was sure she couldn't refuse.

It was indeed very ironic how badly they needed her to save the day. Renee found the irony slightly amusing for a second. But sadly she could never be again the kind woman who deserved that badge. Once, she had actually been worthy of the badge and Jack Bauer. Not anymore. That was the painful and ugly truth. She tried not to show any emotion, but she seriously had to make one thing clear. "I laid down my badge, Mr. Hastings. I took it from my pocket and I laid it down. So why would you possibly think that I want it back?"

"Well, what do you want?"

"What do I want?"Renee momentarily pondered about that. She wanted to be the kind of woman Jack deserved by his side. She wanted to go back in time and correct every mistake she had ever made. In other words, the only thing she wanted was what she couldn't get. So she said almost resignedly, "Nothing. You have weapons-grade uranium in the hands of the Russian O.C.I can do something about that. So I'll go back in... But not for a badge"

"Thank you. We brief in ten minutes" Hasting said and then left the room feeling uncomfortable. He found that woman too estrange. He never got anybody to do what he wanted without any sort of bribing or threatening, not even his own employees. But they truly needed her at this moment, regardless of her reasons for helping.

Renee felt frightened as she watched Hastings leave. Then she sat on an office chair swiveling it as she gazed at the tattoos. She tried to fully process the implications of what had just happened.

She unexpectedly had a second chance to bring down Vladimir and the Red Square. She would take it because it was her duty. She could do things right for once. But somehow she wasn't able to feel any sort of satisfaction over that. Her heart was only capable of feeling sadness, fear and emptiness.

**07:32:56** **PM**

Jack finished the briefing and approached to Chloe's work station. "Hey, just want to say good-bye".

"You're off finally?"

"Yeah" he replied. Then he saw the back of a very familiar head with dark auburn hair pinned up together messily. It was the same hair he used to smell and caress only a week before while she slept in his arms. She was sitting in the conference room and he could see her through the glass walls. Despite what she had done to him, he couldn't help feeling concerned. "How did Renee's debriefing go?"

"It was going fine until Hastings kicked me out" Chloe protested.

"Why'd he kick you out?" He was already sensing something was wrong. Although as far as he knew, it wasn't a normal day at CTU NY if Hastings wasn't a jerk to Chloe in some way.

"It just started to get really uncomfortable".

Jack then saw why. He asked just for confirmation "Is that her undercover file?"

"Yeah. I'm just trying to get up to speed. They found traces of uranium on the assassin. Hastings says there are nuclear materials in play"

Jack didn't like where this was going at all. "Yeah, I heard. What's that got to do with Renee?"

"He asked her to go back under with the Russians"

Suddenly, everything around Jack turned into a blur. All he could see was the back of Renee's head. And he couldn't hear any sound except his own heart pounding fast inside his chest. The contrived feelings inside him were tearing him apart. He was deeply hurt and felt betrayed. But at the same time he still cared so much about her. He definitely didn't want her to go back working undercover with the Russians.

That group was famous for their paranoia and secrecy. To get inside the first time, she had probably been forced to do really horrible things. That certainly explained why she hated herself so much. She had obviously gone through hell. Jack knew too well what being undercover could do to a person. It wouldn't be different a second time. Moreover, there was too much at stake, and Renee was not ready to be back in the field. Besides, if they found out she was a federal agent…

When he thought of what the Russians could do to her, his anger and heartache were momentarily forgotten. Moving by instinct, he headed to the room. Jack couldn't let her do it. He just couldn't let her go on that mission.

Renee was still staring at the tattoos. She heard the door opening behind her and turned around believing could be Chloe. But it wasn't. She froze in extreme shock thinking she was officially insane, delusional. She blinked a few times in disbelief. He was there. Jack was actually there. She wished so badly she could cry a river in the safety of his arms. But she restrained herself remembering why she had to stay away from him.

Jack was not prepared for how sick she looked now. She appeared to be ten pounds thinner. And her beautiful eyes gave away her exhaustion and profound sadness. It was heartbreaking to watch her looking so frail. His protective instincts were urging him to take her in his arms. But his pride held him back.

Awkwardly, Renee stood up and crossed her arms across her chest. "Jack… Chloe didn't tell me you were here"

"I asked not to. I didn't think you'd want to see me". As he said that, he failed to hide how hurt he was.

Renee struggled to keep her tone and expression emotionless. "I didn't expect to see you. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a plane right now?"

"Yeah. But an old informant knocked on my door… everything went downhill from there." Jack explained trying to act as if he were unmoved by her presence. But he never took his eyes away from hers. He could see clearly how depressed she was, even though she tried to hide it.

Renee felt like an idiot. She should have known. He was Jack Bauer after all, always a hero. She then explained "The attack in midtown. That's why I'm here, too."

"I heard Hastings wants you to go undercover with the Russians again"

"He does. I've agreed" Renee stated, feeling now a tiny hint of pride.

"You really think that's a good idea?" He asked her rhetorically as he got a bit closer to her.

To Renee it didn't matter whether it was a good idea or not. She was the only one who could get the job done. But it was pretty clear what he thought. Her face became somber. "They need me".

Then he lowered his tone of voice and admitted "I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about you."

Renee was worried about that velvety and sexy voice he was using. She knew it too well. She was powerless to resist it. She was already feeling herself getting weaker and closer to break down. She shook her head meaning to tell him not to worry. But when she finally managed to make a sound, she asked in a struggle for breath "Why?"

He didn't know how to answer to that. He was simply scared for her. He could see how broken she was. She was falling completely apart again. Only a week before that same woman seemed happy, planning to move to California with him, and then she left abruptly. Now she looked worse than ever. Her extreme mood swing was terrifying him. As gently as he could, he told her "I can tell you are back in that dark place you used to be"

She turned her back at him with her arms tightly folded across her chest. She could feel those pesky tears about to escape from her eyes. The painful truth was stuck on her throat chocking her. But she refused to spit everything out. She took a deep breath and faced him, then trying to sound cold she said "that's not your problem anymore, I don't want it to be your problem"

He had already noticed that much. The reminder of her rejection was like a baseball bat hitting his head. But they were facing a situation that was much more important than their personal issues. Trying to match the coldness in her voice, he said "It is my problem. Farhad Hassan is about to buy uranium from the Russian Mob and turn the IRK into a nuclear power. And you are the person who they'll send to stop that. So, that makes it my problem."

"I wouldn't have signed up for this if I wasn't ready" She said putting her hands on her hips and trying to sound firm. But she wasn't nearly as convincing as she wanted to be. She could barely raise her voice above a whisper.

"I don't think you are." To remind her why, he took her hand gently then pushed up the cuff of her jacket to reveal the scars of her wrist. He was too aware of the fact that she was a danger to herself. He still recalled vividly that day in the park when she ran fast towards an avenue and he had to stop her or she would have been hit by a car. "Renee, this is too important. You need to let them take care of it. They will."

Suddenly, being around him became too unbearable. Everything she was keeping from him felt like one heavy rock on her soul. She stepped back abruptly, as if his touch had given her an electric shock. Then sounding completely emotionless she said "Jack, don't you have a plane to catch? Go to Los Angeles with your daughter"

"Please, don't do this" Jack whispered with a hint of desperation on his voice.

"Go to California, Jack. I have a briefing" She said apparently unmoved, and walked out the room.

Jack looked down feeling powerless. And nothing made him feel angrier and sadder than being helpless to protect somebody he cared about. He was also angry at himself for caring so much about her when he shouldn't.

**7.35 **

Renee knew she was about to crumble down. She quickly made her way to the bathroom, made sure nobody was there and stepped into one stall. There she cried for all the things she couldn't say covering her face with her hands. She could hardly breathe and she was shaking. Of course she wasn't ready to go back undercover with the Russians. And Jack didn't even know half the story. For God's sake, she had lost a baby six days prior. The summary of her life was that she had failed her father, Jimmy, Larry, the FBI and Jack. So saying she wasn't ready to work was the understatement of the century. But Farhad Hassan was about to buy uranium from the Russians and she was the only one who could stop him. She wasn't the best choice, but she was the only one.

Renee stepped out the stall and washed her face fiercely with very cold water and then redid her make-up. She had to put her personal feelings aside to do what her country needed her to do. Jack had once gone back to do his thing immediately after spending twenty months being tortured in China. Everything she knew about him indicated that he had never, ever, allowed his personal problems to interfere with his duty. She could be like that. She could cast all her emotions aside. She could freeze her soul and heart until she became too numb to feel anything. She had to do it. She had to be sharp and focus only on the task at hand.

**At the same time…**

Jack couldn't bring himself to even leave the conference room in which they had just been talking. She was so frail and depressed. Renee was drowning and he couldn't let her sink. He still felt an overwhelming need to protect her. She was clearly in no conditions to go undercover again.

Suddenly, Dana Walsh came with her laptop and was annoyed by the presence of that guy there. Still, she kept a polite tone "Mr. Bauer, I'm sorry. But we need this room for a briefing. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jack realized he had been standing there thinking about Renee for about five minutes. "No… thank you".

As she started preparing the digital material they'd go over during the briefing, Jack left the room feeling absolutely pathetic. He didn't even work there anymore. He couldn't stay. He had to go to California and forget about Renee. She didn't want him. He had to accept that. He remembered that stupid post-it. It made his blood boil just thinking of it. _"I just can't be her. I'm sorry."_ What the hell did that mean anyway? Well, she could be whoever she wanted to be now. He was out.

Nevertheless when he reached the exit of the building, and a security guard asked him for his visitor credential back, Jack couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't just leave knowing she was about to be in serious risk and jeopardize an entire operation. He couldn't let her do anything as foolish as what she was about to do. It was too dangerous. And there was way too much at stake.

**07:42:27**

Renee was briefing Hastings, Chloe, Dana and Cole about her undercover operation. Using a small remote, she made three mug photos appear on a big screen. One was her own booking photograph. After being discharged from the hospital Renee Zadan had been taken to jail like the dangerous criminal she was. Her arrestment had been properly processed and recorded. Renee noticed she looked exactly as she did back then, and thought that was natural considering she could never leave Zadan behind. Not really.

But she put her best professional tone as she explained the others "Six years ago I was undercover with these men. They were running an arms trafficking ring. We broke up the ring and arrested everyone except for the man in charge…" She pressed a bottom and a picture of said boss instantly showed up on the screen. "Vladimir Laitanan". She couldn't help pronouncing that name as if she were naming some plague. Still she managed to conceal her nervousness as she stated "He's our target. It was through him I first heard about the group Red Square. If anyone can connect us to them it's him". The fact that Vladimir was the target motivated her to cast aside how bad she felt and go along with the operation. He had run away unpunished once. She couldn't let that happen twice.

Chloe said they had no trace of Vladimir, and then asked Renee worriedly, "How are you going to find him?"

Renee had already figured that out. "Through this guy" She put another mug picture on the screen. "Ziya Dakhilov. He's out on parole. He'll take us to Vladimir". She then bit her nail nervously, recalling Ziya carrying her the night Vladimir nearly kill her, the night of her miscarriage. But she still managed to act pretty much unaffected.

"The FBI offered Ziya full immunity if he gave up Vladimir. He turned it down and kept his mouth shut and did his time." Dana Walsh stated as if that meant getting Ziya cooperation would be impossible.

"I'm not FBI, I'm a former felon, remember?" Renee told her gravely. She definitely wasn't FBI now. "I'll be offering Ziya the deal of a lifetime**.** Trust me, he'll take it." She affirmed with confidence. Ziya's biggest weakness was his greed, plus his lack of brain cells. "Once I've made contact with Vladimir, I'll tell him that I've heard whispers of nuclear materials on the market. I'll say I have a buyer for them".

Agent Cole Ortiz agreed to pose as a buyer. Renee also needed a big offshore account to show and a back-story to cover the time after she was "released from prison". But that could be taken care of. The plan was taking shape.

Suddenly, Jack walked in the room. "Jack. I thought you'd left." Hastings exclaimed surprised, truly speaking for everybody in the room.

Renee just stared at Jack somberly with her arms crossed across her chest, barely being able to conceal her astonishment. He gave her a quick look and then addressed the others politely. "I'm sorry to interrupt. But could I have the room with Mr. Hastings alone, please?"

Chloe, Dana and Cole obeyed him quickly as if Jack were their boss instead of Hastings. Renee could guess what he wanted to say and wouldn't move an inch. So Jack told her bossily "You too, Renee". But she shot him a keep-dreaming look and replied "I think I'll stay".

She meant to sound firm and cold, but her voice and her eyes gave away how sad she truly was. He was going to tell Hastings she wasn't ready to go on the mission and it would be very humiliating for her. She begged him not to do anything just with her look. His eyes were saying he was sorry it had come to this but he had no choice. They never needed words to understand each other.

"So what's going on, Jack?" Hastings asked confused and slightly annoyed. What the hell was wrong now?

Jack knew Renee would perceive his words as insults. But at that moment protecting her life and the operation was way more important than protecting her feelings. He didn't hesitate and told Hastings "Agent Walker hasn't been undercover for over six years. I think you're making a mistake by putting her in".

He could try to sugar-coat it all he wanted. But Renee was sure Jack considered her a lunatic. How could he not? Given all the things he saw in the past two months: nightmares, flashbacks, mood swings, nervous meltdowns and unexplained abandonments. Pretending she was not offended, she walked towards him defiantly and basically dared him to call her crazy right in her face. "Why don't you tell him what's really on your mind, Jack?"

"I'll tell him exactly what I told you" He said as to remind her he had tried reasoning with her privately. Then he addressed the director seriously "I'm concerned about her and this operation"

Hastings was getting a bit tired of Bauer acting like the CTU's mistake-pointer. As he stood up, he asked frustrated "So what does that mean?"

"She's not ready for this. You must have other options"

Renee interfered saying honestly, "Mr. Hastings, no one else knows these Russians. No one else can get you as close. Unfortunately, I'm your only choice".

Being the only person who could solve a national crisis had always served Jack well to get away with pretty much anything. So she could play the only-choice card too.

Hastings couldn't deny that Walker seemed definitely one strange lady. But they had to find those Russians before Farhad Hassan could get the uranium. "I appreciate your concern, Jack, but she's right. She's our only way in".

Renee looked at Jack victoriously. She was essential for this operation, and God knew she had paid an extremely high prize to be now in such position. She had to make her pain worthwhile, at least for her country.

Jack looked at Renee sadly for a moment. Then, without a second of hesitation, he told Hastings "Fine, then I want to go with her. I assume your plan is trying to set up a competing buy? I'll act as the buyer."

Renee felt outraged, shocked and terrified at the same time. It was outrageous that Jack thought she would ruin the operation. It was shocking that he still cared about her at all. And it was terrifying that he was going to be in great danger because of her. Trying to sound as calm as she could, she told Jack "That won't be necessary. Agent Ortiz has already agreed".

"He doesn't have the experience" Jack rushed to allege. He respected the younger agent a great deal. He simply couldn't trust somebody he barely knew with Renee's life. Not to mention Cole looked nothing like the kind of guy who would be on the market for some uranium.

"Then this is how he gets it" Renee said firmly. She couldn't let Jack risk his life for her. No chance in hell.

"Not with nuclear weapons on the line" Jack snapped quickly at her. He couldn't make it personal. He had to make it only about the operation. Then he solemnly told the director "Mr. Hastings, I'm officially requesting that you send me in with Agent Walker".

"Jack, if you're willing to do this, I'd be foolish to object. We'll work up a cover for you and dovetail it with Agent Walker's alias"

As she heard that, Renee bit her lower lip and nodded with an upset I-knew-it expression. Of course Hastings would immediately jump at the opportunity of having Jack in the operation. As far as CTU was concerned, Jack Bauer's job was being God when things got out of control.

She just watched helplessly as Jack and Hastings agreed to get fast to work. Renee couldn't believe this was truly happening. Why did Jack have to get involved in this mess? She had left him precisely so he wouldn't be affected by her problems in any way. She didn't want him to go as the buyer. She didn't want him to be in danger. And Vladimir brought up the worst side of her. It was a side she never wanted Jack to see.

"I'm sorry". Jack whispered to her when he saw her sad expression, and then left the room.

Renee watched him leave and shook her head feeling hurt, worried and frustrated. Why the hell was he doing this? He should be on a plane to L.A. hating her guts for leaving him, and after that he was supposed to get over her and live happily in California. Instead he was getting involved in yet another risky CTU operation, where he could easily get killed. She didn't want him involved in that mess. These were her daemons. It was her battle.

Naturally he wasn't doing it for her. She had left him, so probably he cared very little about her. And that was fair. Except he was so damn sure she would ruin the operation that he had to babysit her. He was Jack Bauer; he could never walk away when he thought the country was in peril. He found out they were sending his former girlfriend, the lunatic, to an undercover mission of vital importance. So he had to interfere for the sake of that mission.

It was so insulting for her how he was so certain she was going to mess everything up.

She recalled her very first conversation with him. Given how long people had thought Jack was dead, she had actually expected him to be a little open-minded about the fact that Tony Almeida had pulled off the same stunt. But Jack had refused to even consider the possibility until the evidence became too strong. That was how Renee Walker learned her number one lesson about Jack Bauer: he thought he was the only who could go to the extremes and survive, the only one who could come up with the craziest schemes and succeed. He could archive the impossible while all the others were mere mortals prone to fail.

Well, she wasn't going to fail. Not this time. She wasn't going to ruin the operation. She desperately needed it to go right. She had failed everybody. Her life had fallen apart completely; this mission was all she had left. Just like Jack Bauer had done many times in the past, she would get the job done despite being in a terrible place. She had to fix at least some of her many errors. At least she could bring down Vladimir and the Red Square, recovering the nuclear weapons in the process.

She had failed a lot before. Failing now simply was not an option.

**TO BE CONTINUED…. **

**(Please, review and tell me what you think, are you enjoying this mixture of canon and AU?**


	3. To get results, roll up your sleeves

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Hastings asks Renee to go undercover again to find the Red Square, a Russian mob in possession of nuclear weapons that Farhad Hassan wants to buy to turn the IRK into a nuclear power. After Jack sees Renee for the first time after their break up and notices she's truly messed up. He realizes she's is not ready for that mission but since he can't get her out of it, he gets himself in. He is going with her posing as a buyer for the nuclear weapons. Renee gets determined to be successful in the mission because it's all she has left.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 3:**

**To get results you must ****roll up your sleeves**

**JUNE - YEAR 2012 **

**Brighton Beach – Brooklyn****, New York **

Renee Zadan was an account executive for a large firearm manufacturer. For five months, she had been doing business with Vladimir Laitanan. She acquired Russian automatic weapons, flipping them and selling them to the Americans for so much more than what they were actually worth. Moreover, Renee wanted to move from simply doing business with them to actually being one of them. Who would believe that petite cute lady wanted to join a Russian Syndicated crime organization? Vladimir thought her innocent appearance was something they could actually use. Besides, he liked her. He liked her very much. He had been watching her very attentively and so far she seemed to be everything she claimed to be. But he was truly torn between his urging desire to have her close to him and his strong policy of never trusting anybody.

Lugo tried to reason with his boss, which was never easy. "What if she's a cop? We can all go down. We can lose everything we've worked for"

Vladimir knew the risks were too high. But there was a way they could somewhat test Renee's loyalty. He announced to Lugo "You and I are gonna take my girl for a ride. We'll see soon enough what she is"

In the middle of the night, Renee got a call from them telling her there was a job for her. She agreed to meet them, not knowing what to expect, but aware that this could be a huge opportunity to get inside the gang. They picked her up in a car. Soon she noticed they were heading to Newton Creek. Then they pulled the car over nearby the East River. Renee was terrified. Had they discovered her real identity? Still, she maintained a calm appearance as Vladimir took her by the arm and led towards the river. "So, Vlad, what are we doing here?"

"Dimitri Ivanov thinks he can do business in my territory. Let's see if he thinks the same with a bullet on his brain". Vladimir said with a smirk and watched carefully Renee's reaction.

Renee saw Lugo opening the trunk of the car and dragging a man from it. The man had his hands tied tightly behind his back. She knew they were testing her. They wanted to see if she remained unaffected while witnessing a murder, assuming a cop couldn't do that. It was a test she had foreseen, yet, she was not prepared for. She was extremely perturbed and couldn't help to blink many times quickly as she helplessly watched the whole scene.

"Я не собираюсь просить моей жизни" Dimitri said trying to keep a straight face and look brave. "Но знайте, что там будут возмездия, если Вы убьете меня"

Renee knew that meant "I won't beg for my life but be aware that there will be retaliations if you kill me"

Vladimir was far from being scared of what Dimitri's men could do to seek revenge. He was way more powerful and dangerous than them. He gave a cold stare and said, "Я не собираюсь убивать Вас"

Renee was perplexed. Vladimir had said "I'm not going to kill you" But why? Then, to her horror, Vladimir handed her an extra gun he had kept hidden till that moment. And then he announced "You'll do it", while Lugo looked prepared to shoot Renee in the head if she didn't comply.

Agent Walker knew people would get killed while she tried to bring down the Red Square and Vladimir. But she never expected having to murder another person herself. She was extremely terrified and disgusted, but tried not to show it. Trying to sound girly and stupid she mumbled "I don't know how to use a gun"

But Lugo, not buying it for a second, cut her off dryly. "You'll figure it out"

She had to think a way out fast. Renee Zadan was a Russian chick who went rogue for the money and wanted to join a Russian Mob, but doing things like strategic planning, money laundering or espionage. Murdering wasn't her job. She turned to Vladimir and trying to sound casual said "Vlad, this is just not what we agreed I'd do"

Vladimir looked at her in the eyes. "You are not good to me if you don't prove first that you are truly one of us"

Then Lugo got closer to her and pressed his gun against Renee's forehead, he cocked his gun, ready to shoot her. "Zadan, you're wasting our time… you have to decide right now, are you in or out?"

Renee desperately tried to think on a way to get out of this, realizing there was none. In order to live she had to be coldblooded and ruthless. What would happen if she died? After killing her, they'd kill Dimitri anyway. She would die for nothing, as a failure. If she did what they were asking her to do, she'd earn their trust and could bring them down eventually. With suspiring calmness, she made Lugo lower his gun. Then she walked towards Dimitri and ordered him in a cold and harsh tone "turn around and get on your knees"

But Dimitri didn't even flinch. He guessed the woman was some mobster wannabe being tested. Well, that bitch would never forget her initiation. "No! You are gonna have to pull that trigger looking straight into my eyes"

"Do as she said!" Vladimir yelled as he punched Dimitri in the stomach.

Dimitri went on his knees, but didn't turn around. He looked up straight-faced, his gaze never leaving Renee's. She could feel her determination trembling. Those blue eyes were piercing her soul. Her hands were shaking. Renee couldn't help to admire that guy's courage. He was a thug no better than Vladimir. But he had been fearless all the time. And as sick as it was, she found the way he was facing his own death beautiful. She cocked her gun and then pressed it against Dimitri forehead. Her entire body was shivering. She blinked anxiously several times trying not to shed the tears she could feel were about to come. She bit her lower lip. How could she do it?

"Только сделайте это теперь"(*Just do it now) Dimitri said calmly looking into her eyes.

Renee took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

**May 20****th - ****YEAR 2018 **

**7.52 PM - New York City**

"_Hi, my name is Jack Bauer and I'm a drug addict" _It doesn't truly matter what specific problem you may have. Drug addiction. Alcoholism. A gambling problem. An eating disorder. The first step to recovery is always admitting it clearly out loud. Jack thought that rule could also be applied to Renee's severe depression.

It was so hard to get her talk about what was truly on her mind. He knew she had been raped. He knew she had tortured Alan Wilson and felt like shit about it. He knew she had tried to commit suicide. He knew she suffered from severe depression and some form of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Also, she had hinted once having been in an undercover mission. Now he knew for sure she had been undercover with a Russian Mob, which meant her experience was probably even more traumatic than he first had imagined. He also knew she had once been happy with him for a short while until she left him with no explanation and now she was completely messed up. Renee was basically a tough puzzle, and he could tell he had several pieces missing.

Now they were on the way to Long Island City, where Ziya worked in some auto parts store. As he drove them to their destination, he took a quick look at her. She couldn't even look at him now. She hadn't looked at him or said a word since their argument in front of Brian Hastings. She had her eyes fixated on the city they were leaving behind as she rested lazily on her seat, looking deeply depressed. The silence was making him nuts.

"You know, when I got detox…" he started saying. She suddenly shot him one of her begging '_don't go there_' looks, clearly thinking he meant when she had helped him get detox. So he clarified, "The first time I got detox… I had to go to meetings and follow twelve steps. The first one was admitting I was powerless and that my life had become unmanageable. Then I had to admit that only a power greater than me could restore my sanity"

"And you expect me to believe you did that?" Renee said in an obvious '_yeah, sure'_ tone, still not looking at him.

He was not offended at all by her skepticism. He wasn't known precisely for his humility. "Actually, I didn't."He admitted honestly, but rushed to add "But a lot of the others did. They talked about turning their lives over the care of God. But I couldn't do that. Not really. And even though I quit using drugs anyway, I continued in one extremely self destructive path for a long time. Only in different ways" He looked at her briefly and sighed thinking about how messed up his life had been. With or without drugs, he had always found a way to destroy everything he touched. "I'm only telling you this because sometimes I think… maybe I should have turned to God back then. And I know you are a Catholic because I saw your rosary"

"I was. Not anymore" she stated somberly. She had promised herself to focus only on the mission. She had promised herself not to feel anything. But he was making it impossible. She sighed deeply. Why did he even care? She wasn't worth it. He probably just felt obligated to save her because he had to fix everything and everybody. She told him acidly "Is that why you insist on saving me Jack? Is it one of your steps?"

Jack stayed silent but looked hurt. She had certainly hit a nerve. Maybe he was obsessed with saving Renee because he was supposed to make amends to all the people he had harmed. She broke his heart when she left him, but he had damaged her way before that. He had done nothing for her on the day they met. He had just stood there while she took the same path that had ruined his life. He had taken her down with him. No wonder she didn't want him around. She looked so frail now that, for a moment, he considered admitting he cared about her because he was still crazy about her. But how pathetic would that be considering she didn't even want him?

They continued in silence until Chloe contacted them. They heard her voice coming thought the intercom devise they had in the car, "Jack, it's Chloe. You should be receiving a consolidated timeline plus detail files for travel and residency. Have they downloaded to your PDA yet?"

"Yes, we got it, Chloe." Renee snapped coldly as she checked her PDA.

"Oh, and Dana would like for me to review the facts with you, if that's okay." Chloe suggested.

"We're fine, Chloe. I know how to prep a cover." Renee told her, not hiding how annoyed she was. Was Chloe also thinking she was a moron? Sadly, if there was something she knew how to do that was turning into Renee Zadan.

Chloe politely said "I'm sure you do, it's just that..."

But Jack could see Renee shaking her head truly upset. So he stepped in the conversation before it could get even worse. "Chloe, it's all right. As soon as we get something, we'll get back to you".

"Okay, I guess I will leave you then. Good luck." Chloe said a bit awkwardly.

"Thanks." Then Jack finished talking with Chloe. Renee was now looking incredibly frustrated and annoyed. And he was getting irritated with her. "You are also mad at Chloe now?"

"No, I'm only mad at you because you've got everyone treating me like I'm an invalid" When she was still Agent Walker people trusted that she could at least do her damn job.

"No one's treating you like an invalid. It's standard procedure. They're trying to sync up two cover stories."

"He's not gonna quiz me on the facts, Jack. He gonna take one look at me and decide if I'm lying." She told him as to remind him that she could be depressed, but she still had a brain.

"I know. And whatever happens after that, we need to be ready" Jack replied trying to be reasonable.

For the first time since they got in the car, Renee kept her look on Jack with all the pain she was feeling showing in her eyes. She had not only lost forever his comforting touch and the safety of her arms, she had also lost his respect and his trust. If only he knew how badly she wished she could be worthy of him. But even though she wasn't good enough for him, she was good enough for this mission. She took a deep breath. Then, she told him the most honest thing she could tell him. "I'm truly sorry that I failed you, Jack. But I'm really up to this"

Trying hard to focus on the road he rushed to said, "This isn't about us… and I never said you weren't up to this"

"But you don't think I am. You don't trust me. And I can't blame you for that after what I did" She kept looking at him sadly. He didn't say anything, which clearly meant she was right, he obviously didn't trust her at all. She looked away and sighed sadly. "So here we are. Me and my babysitter"

Jack kept his mouth shut, making a superhuman effort to restrain himself from being brutally honest. He knew how capable and smart she could be. She was Agent Walker, after all. But right now she was deeply depressed, and needed help. The current state of her mind was scaring him.

Renee wished she could cry. Jack had become her babysitter to protect this operation from her, as if she were a threat to her own country. Clearly he already thought she was insane. And he wasn't prone to think differently once he met Renee Zadan. But she couldn't cry. She had promised herself to get this job done. Failing was not an option. She was determined to go on this operation and get the results they needed.

They finally arrived to their destination. Renee spotted Ziya closing up his store. So she got off the car and Jack gave her an earpiece so they could stay communicated. In other words: to monitor her like a baby. But in this case, Renee's brain prevailed; she did the smart thing and put the small devise in her ear. Right before she was leaving, Jack insisted "Hey. This is your last shot. You do not have to do this"

But that wasn't true. She had to do this. She needed this mission for so many reasons. One of them being that, at this moment, helping her country was the only thing keeping her alive. But to make Jack feel a bit more at ease, she said "I know, but I want to"

**07. 56 PM**

Renee Zadan walked into the store, and Ziya said "We're closed". _Well, then maybe you should have locked the door, genius_, she thought sarcastically to herself as she walked towards him.

Ziya noticed the intruder would not leave, so he complained "What did I say?" as he got ready to face the person bugging him. But when he saw her he froze completely. It was like looking at a ghost. There she was, with an arrogant smirk on her face. Felling a mixture of astonishment and fear he muttered "Renee"

"Ziya. Nice outfit. Not a lot of men can pull off a skirt" She mocked him.

But he was in no mood for jokes. Her presence there was suspicious to say the least. She could be up to not good. "When did you get out? I thought you were serving seven-to-ten"

"They let me out early. Good behavior"

Still skeptical but knowing what Zadan was capable of, Ziya asked "Good behavior? With warden?"

Far from being offended by the insinuation, she replied casually "Well, eventually, yeah. But it's like anything else, you gotta work your way up"

Ziya believed her. But he was still worried about what she might want from him "So why you here?"

"I'm looking for Vladimir. Got a business proposition I know he'd be interested in" She explained once again saying 'Vladimir' as if she were naming some decease. She couldn't help herself.

"What kind of business proposition?" Ziya asked not truly believing it for a second. As if Renee Zadan could ever want to see Vladimir again for any reason other than putting a bullet on his head.

"Got a buyer, something big being sold" she replied mysteriously, trying to make him interested.

Ziya didn't believe her. And he wanted nothing to do with this. "Yeah? I don't know. Vlad disappear"

"Hmm, maybe" Renee knew Ziya was lying and knew perfectly well where Vladimir was. She walked around the counter getting closer to him, all flirty. "But you can find him"

Ziya stepped back, a bit intimidated by her. She definitely was up to not good. "Really? Why I do that?"

In reality, that guy disgusted her deeply. He was a thug and a pedophile. She had come to despise the entire gang. For just a second, the image of him carrying her as she was bleeding from her womb assaulted her mind. But she used it as a motivation. Getting to the Red Square by using Vladimir was what her country needed, but in the process she could make those bastards pay. And she happened to know how to play Ziya like a piano. So trying to conceal her repulsion, Renee got even closer to him and said flirty "Why do you think?"

"I don't know" Ziya replied, still stepping back from her, not trusting her at all.

Next Renee had him exactly where she wanted. They were face to face merely inches from each other and Ziya could not step back anymore because of the wall behind him. It was her moment to plant the big bait. "I'll cut you in. Unless, of course, you're making so much money here that that's of no interest to you" She noticed with satisfaction that now Ziya was predictable interested. He looked at her like a cartoon character with dollar symbols in his eyes. "See? Your greedy little eyes are saying Show-me-the-money, so what's the problem, Ziya?" Then he rolled up his sleeve and showed her the problem. That was definitely a tough obstacle. She was so screwed. But she tried to hide her disappointment as she casually said "Parole bracelet?"

"They know where I am 24-7. I'm like dog. I leave yard, I get shock" Ziya complained, upset that he was going to miss those big bucks Renee Zadan was promising.

Renee really had to find a way to sort this obstacle and reach her goal. She flirted some more, even caressing his arm as she said "Well, then just help me out. Make some calls"

"Make calls? You know what happen I make call asking where's Vladimir? Tomorrow, have accident on way for work." He pointed out what was indeed obvious for both of them. Then he walked away from her, disappointed about missing the money. "No, sensitive information, done face-to-face, you know that you're lucky. You get out. Me, I'm still in prison"

While Ziya was talking, a new plan was starting to take shape in Renee's head. "Let me see the bracelet"

"No" If something happened to it he'd go to jail again. So he refused to show it to her. But Renee kept insisting, as she flirted and got closer to him. He was finding very hard to resist her. He had always found her incredibly attractive. Even though he normally had a preference for much younger girls, he found Renee Zadan hot. But their gang had one pretty obvious rule: when the alpha male chose a particular female, the other males had to stay away from her. Vladimir went ballistic if another man did as much as stare Renee's breast. But Vlad wasn't around. And Ziya was enjoying so much having her so close. Her lips were suddenly inches away from his.

"Have I ever messed you up? Ever?" she said in a very seductive way. "Come on"

Unable to resist her, he dropped his wrist into her open hand and took the chance to smell her hair as she examined the bracelet.

When Renee took a closer look at the parole bracelet she immediately confirmed that her plan would work. She was so relieved. "I can get this off, guaranteed"

Ziya wouldn't risk going back to prison. He said firmly "You screw with this, you know what happen? Cops come running in. In two hours, I'm back inside. Parole violation"

But Renee wouldn't stop now that she had a plan. She got her face even closer to his and brushed his chin with her fingers. "Ziya, That's not gonna happen, I'm telling you. I know how to get this off"

"How do you know?" He asked not quite believing her, but feeling strangely turned on.

"Cause I constantly have to deal with people like you, that's how" Renee said maintaining her seductive façade, and trying to pretend he didn't make her sick. "I can get it off if I can just hold it steady"

Next, she led him over to a vise and clamped the bracelet in. Then she took a power cutter and turned it on.

At that moment Ziya quickly protested "what I say, you can't cut bracelet"

Then, with all the flirting in her voice and expression suddenly gone, she clarified "I'm not gonna cut the bracelet"

Jack had been listening all along using the intercom devise. He was at first too perplexed to react. _She isn't gonna cut the bracelet?... But then what the hell is she gonna…?_ Then he heard Ziya screaming in pain. Jack first thought was… _No! She didn't!... _ He didn't want to believe it was true. But obviously she had actually done it. Still a bit on denial, he got of the car and ran to the store with his gun up, seriously hoping it wasn't like it sounded.

When he got in the store, he saw Renee just wiping her hands looking totally unaffected. Ziya was unconscious on the floor, right next to her, with his hand covered in blood and one thumb missing. And she seemed made of stone. Jack totally lost it. "What have you done?... What the hell have you done?"

Renee couldn't believe he had the nerve to judge her when he had done the same, or worst, many times before. But trying not to show any emotions she simply stated "Like he said, he was trapped here"

"And you think he's gonna help you now?" Jack asked extremely outraged. Who the hell was this woman in front of him? She seemed nothing like Renee. He was terrified of the change he was seeing in her. What the hell was wrong with her? "That's it… This is over… This is over!"

But despite how loudly he was yelling at her, Renee remained unfazed. Very gravely she told him "Maybe for you, Jack, but I'm just getting started" as she walked away to find anything that she could use to tie a tourniquet, she just ordered him "Find something to cauterize that wound"

Jack stared at her walking away and then at Ziya's butchered hand, feeling a mixture of repulsion, fear and disbelief. Had she actually lost her mind?

"Damn it" he said feeling absolutely helpless. Then he did the only thing he could do at the moment and rushed to get something to cauterize the wound.

Renee as quickly as she could, tried to tie a tourniquet around Ziya's arm. But she got desperate since he was still losing too much blood. Not that she actually cared about Ziya. She was purely obsessed with the results of the mission. That thug couldn't just die on her now. She had to find Vladimir. As Jack approached, she told him with a hint of nervousness "He's still bleeding out"

"This should cauterize the wound" Jack said as he poured a liquid over Ziya's raw and bloody flesh.

"Okay, it's working" Renee announced relieved. Then she noticed confused and a bit alarmed that Jack was about to make a call with his cell phone. "Who are you calling?"

"Hastings"

"Why?" She was genuinely confused. She had just gotten what they needed. What was his problem?

"Because I'm shutting this operation down. You shouldn't be in the field, and this proves it"

_How exactly?_ She wondered to herself not truly getting Jack at all. First, he was worried because he thought she'd ruin the operation. Now he seemed angry because she had done exactly what was necessary to get the results they wanted. "This was the only play, Jack. You would've done the same thing"

First of all, throwing right in his face how ruthless he used to be was such a cheap shot. Besides, he really didn't want her to be him. Moreover, she had just mutilated the guy. Did she truly think Ziya would be pleased to help her now? As angry as hell, he yelled "The play was to get him to cooperate"

"He will cooperate" She yelled back at him.

"How do you figure?" He snapped at her sarcastically.

She was everything but a moron. Sounding arrogant and angry she told him, "Look, I know these guys, Jack. The only thing that Ziya likes more than 13-year-old girls is money. He'd have butchered himself for a score like this"

That was so not the point for him. "Yeah, well, Hastings still needs to know the truth."

"The truth?"

Without really thinking, he just yelled at her "That you're unstable!"

Renee felt like a shot right in her heart. There it was: the truth. Not sugar-coating. Not stupid advises about getting help from God, or whatever. Now he was saying what he truly believed. That she was plainly insane. It wasn't really fair. He used to turn every room he walked in into a torture chamber, including once a room inside the White House. All she was trying to do was get the damn results they needed, like him. She was going through a real personal hell. Yet, she was making a huge effort to fulfill her duty to her country. But he thought she was crazy. She had to struggle hard to prevent the tears from her eyes. She just gave him a cold glare full of anger.

Jack felt like an asshole when he saw the pain in her face. But really he just wanted to take her home and heal her. And it made him angry knowing that she didn't even want him to. But with or without him, she had to find a way to leave this path she'd taken. He wanted her to leave the dark place she was in while she still could. He got closer to her and softened a little. "Look, Renee…"

But she had to stop him, or she was going to break down completely. She decided to use once again the best card at her disposal. Maintaining her voice and expression cold, she stated "what you think of me doesn't matter. The bottom line is, I'm still the best chance that anyone has of intercepting that uranium, and I can do it now" Jack didn't say anything. He just turned around and began walking away from her. Her eyes were wet. She felt about to cry. But she couldn't cry. She had to toughen up somehow. Acting cold again she pressed him "So, what's it going to be, you making that phone call or what?"

Jack was having a hard time deciding that. He knew they needed Renee to intercept the uranium. But she was clearly in a terrible shape. Suddenly, Ziya began to groan.

"He's waking up, Jack. Better make up your mind"

Jack felt trapped. He looked at her and told her reluctantly, "Fine. You see what you can get out of him. But don't forget, I'm listening"

Renee watched sadly as he left quickly the store. Like she could ever forget he was listening. He was there learning the most horrible things about her, which just made everything so much harder for her. Suddenly, Ziya got fully awake and screamed her name in pain and horror. But far from being moved, Renee was purely annoyed. "Shut up, Ziya!" When he yelled again, she just barked at him "You'll get your painkillers as soon as we get out of here"

"What did you do?" He whined absolutely horrified.

"I got the bracelet off, all right, I did you a favor" She snapped at him.

"You crazy bitch! You cut off thumb!" He shouted enraged.

Truth be told, Renee wasn't even sorry for the guy, she felt no remorse at all. She was feeling nothing inside but anger and hate. She shouted at him "Look, what's done is done. You can either stay here and whine about it like a baby, or you can come with me and be a rich man. Look, I'm willing to give you a point on this deal off the top. It's a lot of money, Ziya."

Predictably, that calmed him down instantly. Whining like a little girl, he asked "How much?"

"Two-and-a-half million. Maybe three when it's all done"

Suddenly, Ziya felt better. "Two million? You're serious?"

"You tell me"

Ziya looked at his now mutilated hand. If she had done that, there had to be money involved. But he couldn't take any more risks, "I take this deal to Vladimir, and it's not real, you know what happens?"

"Why would I be here if this wasn't real?" she told him. When he didn't reply she decided to bluff "Fine, forget it, Ziya. I'll find Vladimir my own way" She didn't mention that she had no way to do that. But she knew Ziya would never say no to three millions of dollars. And predictably, he stopped her from leaving.

"No, wait! I don't know where he is exactly, but where he might be"

Jack was in his car listening everything thought the communication devise. He heard that Ziya would take Renee to see Vladimir. He was truly amazed. Renee had actually pulled that one off. Jack still couldn't feel at ease though. Renee's mental state made him nervous. Suddenly, his phone rang and he picked up "Yeah?"

It was Chloe who had just found out that Ziya had a tracking bracelet and wanted to know how to handle that problem. But Jack simply told her that Ziya didn't have a bracelet anymore. So she was confused "I don't understand. Those things have anti-tamper mechanisms. You can't cut them off him without triggering an alarm"

"Yeah, well, trust me, it's been taken care of" Jack said not really wanting to say what Renee had done. She was having trouble accepting it himself.

But Chloe had a very bad feeling about that. "Jack, what happened in there?"

"Renee got the result she wanted. Ziya's taking her to Vladimir" Jack said trying to hide how sad he was. _Renee got the result she wanted_. He just couldn't get that phrase out of his mind.

"_Look at yourself, you have lost everyone and everything you ever had by doing what you think is necessary. I won't let you do it to her, Bauer. Renee will not end up like you."_

Those words were haunting Jack now more than ever.

It was true. He was cursed. Everything he loved winded up dead or deeply damaged. He was cursed. He was really cursed. He couldn't deny it now. Not after watching Renee running fast in the wrong direction once again.

**TO BE CONTINUED….**

**(Reviews are very welcome! Please, tell me what you think) **


	4. Russian Roullete

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Jack realized Renee once was raped but she still keeps many things from him. Renee felt happy with Jack. She learned she was pregnant, but the pregnancy turned out to be non-viable. Feeling devastated, she left Jack without telling him anything. (Part one) Renee has to go undercover again to find a Russian mob in possession of nuclear weapons. Jack realizes she's is not ready for that mission, so he volunteers to go with her. They start looking for Vladimir. To archive the goal, Renee cold-bloodily cuts Ziya's thumb. Jack is horrified and calls her "unstable", but he reluctantly agrees to go on with the operation because she can get the results they need.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 4:**

**RUSSIAN ROULETTE**

It is a twisted old game. You sit face to face with your opponent and take a handgun with a six-chamber cylinder, which is loaded with one single bullet. Then you press the muzzle against the side of your head and pull the trigger. Next, the cylinder spins freely like a roulette wheel. You gamble your own life and leave completely up to chance. If the bullet falls in the one chamber with the firing barrel… you are done playing. But if you are lucky, you get to pass the gun over and, perhaps, you get to watch your adversary commit suicide. But if your rival is just as fortunate as you were, another round must begin. So it goes until someone loses the stake. The probability of you getting killed increases each time the trigger is pulled.

**YEAR 2018 – May 20****th**

**8.15 PM - ****New York City**

Renee was driving with Ziya sitting in the passenger seat. He looked too relaxed for a guy who had gotten one finger cut off merely fifteen minutes ago. He had probably drunk too much liquor already. She rolled her eyes annoyed, recalling how much those guys usually drank. "That's enough"

"What's your problem?" He protested. Renee Zadan had never complained about liquor before.

"I need you thinking clearly" She didn't need that moron killing his two brain cells with alcohol.

"You tell me you'd get me real painkiller" he complained.

So he could be mix alcohol with drugs? She didn't think so. Instead she ordered him seriously "Put it away"

But Ziya disregarded her concerns, taking another zip of liquor. Then he said "I'm surprised. I'm surprised you take deal to him again after what he did to you"

Jack heard that from the intercom devise on him car. Instantly, many questions began stinging his brain like a bunch of angry African bees. What exactly had Vladimir done to her? Was Laitanan the guy who...? But wouldn't the FBI have pulled her out the mission before something as horrible could happen? Why wasn't anybody looking after her then? Didn't the FBI carefully monitor the operation?

Renee was about to be overpowered by the painful reminders of everything Vladimir had done to her. She took one sad look at Ziya. She had to focus on the here and now. Her undivided attention had to be aimed solely at her target. Showing merely a slight hint of sadness in her voice she asked "How much further?"

Ziya didn't know the details. But he knew Vladimir was a bastard, who had been even more of a bastard to Renee. That was why he couldn't get why she wanted to deal with him. But anything for money, right? "Okay. You don't want to talk about Vladimir. I understand. I don't blame you. After all, what is there to say about such a man?"

Renee rolled her eyes. She could actually think quite a few words. But they would all make Abby O'Connor Walker raise from her grave just to wash her daughter's mouth with soup and send her to confession.

Even though Renee clearly wasn't in a chatty mood, Ziya kept talking "Nothing good, nothing very..."

Renee was too aware that Jack was listening to every word. He already knew she had been raped. But he didn't know by whom. And he didn't know she could have easily prevented everything. Back then, she could have left that mission before things could get as awful as they did. But instead she had gambled her own life, soul and integrity in order to see Vladimir's head on a plate, and had lost the stake. Now she was taking the same risk to get her rematch. She definitely couldn't let Jack realize any of that. So she interrupted Ziya angrily "Just tell me how much further!"

"Ten minutes" He replied, and then added sort of mockingly "Touchy, touchy".

Renee just kept driving silently with a somber expression. She decided to let Ziya keep the drink after all. Anything to keep his mouth shut. He had already said plenty.

Every passing second of the operation only amplified Jack's previous concerns about Renee. Was Vladimir truly the same guy who had once damaged her so badly? It seemed so. Suddenly, he got a call from Chloe telling him the cover profile was locked and had been sent to him. After making sure Renee couldn't hear him, he asked Chloe, "I want you to go into her undercover file with regards to Vladimir Laitanan. I need to know everything that happened between them".

Nuclear weapons were on the line, so now Jack had to learn the entire truth, whether Renee liked it or not.

**8.30 PM**

Renee pulled Ziya's truck into an alley behind the warehouse which served as one of Vladimir's hideouts. According to Ziya, Vladimir moved around a lot, so cops hadn't found him. But two CTU de-facto agents just did, and they still had to review their cover story. So feigning innocence she told Ziya "Hmm? You know, Vladimir was never fond of surprises, so I was thinking... maybe you could go in first? Get him used to the idea of me again"

"Whet his appetite?"

That was an awfully tasteless way to put it. But she truly was the bait that would make Vladimir fall into the trap. Renee couldn't help the small hint of a smirk as she replied "Exactly"

Jack was in his own car, seriously preoccupied about what was going on. Renee was already in a very bad place, and now it seemed that this operation involved her seeing again the man who had wounded her deeply in the most outrageous way. As he watched Ziya walking towards the warehouse, Jack realized with concern that, as much as he detested it, they were now too involved to back down. Suddenly, he was startled by Renee's voice asking if their cover was in place. He replied her "Yeah. Chloe got me everything"

"Good. Let's start going over what happened in Mexico City. How we met, who we dealt with" She said, trying to hide how nervous she truly was. There was a real chance Vladimir wouldn't believe anything she said.

But Jack had to know who they were truly dealing with. "First tell me about Vladimir"

_Making me confess by holding hostage the information I need to sell my cover? That's a nice one, Jack. _Renee thought sarcastically to herself. Playing dumb, she asked "What do you want to know?"

Jack didn't know how to ask her. It was truly awkward being forced to bring up the topic, but under the circumstances he had no choice. "Look, I heard what Ziya said… So… it was Vladimir, wasn't it?"

Renee remained silent for too long, feeling mortified and sickened by all the memories of certain fateful night. But she hastily went back to reality. Jack knowing the truth about Vladimir would only complicate the hell out of the mission they were trying to accomplish. "I don't know what you are talking about, Jack"

"Yes, you do" Jack affirmed with a lot of certainty.

"Well, it wasn't him. Okay? It wasn't him" She tried to sound as convincing as she could.

Jack still didn't quite believe her. He asked defiantly "then, what _did _he do to you? What was Ziya talking about?"

"Look, it was nothing, all right? Ziya is just a drama queen"

Jack could easily tell she was lying. And he was too tired of Renee's lies and secrets. Full of anger, he abruptly spitted "Damn it, Renee! You played me before. But this isn't one of your games!"

Jack regretted saying those words as soon as they came out from his mouth like verbal vomit. Deep down, he still felt hurt and betrayed by her. But he had to keep it strictly professional. Renee Walker was his undercover partner, nothing more. He had to protect her only because the entire mission depended on her. It was up to her to recover the nuclear weapons. That was the only reason he cared about all this. Struggling to speak showing no emotions, he said "I'm sorry. What I meant is that this operation is too dangerous, and since I'm running it I need to be well briefed"

Renee felt a heavy anvil falling over her head. If only she could tell him the truth. But for the millionth time she reminded herself to do what was best for him in the long term, even if it was tearing her apart. Her eyes were damped, but managed to speak without her voice breaking. "I know very well what's at stake here, Jack"

But she clearly didn't care about her own protection and that was driving him insane. "Then stop messing with me! I'm responsible for your safety. So, when I ask you a straight question, you give me a straight answer"

Renee wasn't intimidated at all by his yelling. It simply made her furious that Jack was digging too deep into her dirt. "Nothing happened! Please, let's not waste another minute on Vladimir. I can handle him. The only thing that matters right now is locking down this cover"

Jack was forced to give in to her for the second time in one hour. He explained the cover story to her quickly. He was a Munich-based arms dealer named Ernst Meier, who met Renee Zadan in Mexico City where she became his liaison to the locals. They had been living and operating in a hotel called Bella Noche on Avenida Juarez. That hotel was a safe haven for high-end criminal activity, so it fit perfectly with they cover.

When it seemed that she was ready, he told her "Okay, I'm going to be monitoring you, filling in the details. Just listen to my voice. I'll get you all the information you need"

Soon, Ziya came back and Renee had to go to Vladimir's hideout.

Chloe contacted Jack again, and confirmed his fears as she warned him "It's not pretty, Jack. She had a real problem on her hands"

Jack got even more anxious "Talk to me".

Chloe truly hated being the one who had to tell Jack something that would upset him. It was an unpleasant task she got stuck with way too often. She explained awkwardly "According to the responsible agent, Leon Craig, Vladimir Laitanan was completely obsessed with her, it turned violent"

His suspicious were turning out to be true. With a mixture of anger and concern he asked "How violent?"

Chloe began explaining "Broken ribs, a busted cheekbone. A couple of trips to the emergency room…"

Renee had definitely lied to him. What the hell was she thinking? What was she trying to do? Just for confirmation, before Chloe could add another word, he asked "Did he… rape her?"

"Not according to these files, but it looks like he tried a couple of times"

Jack was sure that file told only a sugar coated version of the truth. He found himself mentally going over every moment he had spent with Renee during their brief relationship and in the past two hours. He tried desperately to recall every word she'd said, every gesture she'd made, every time something had triggered one of her flashbacks, every time he had woken up because she was screaming in her sleep. He searched his memory for even the slightest clue. The obvious conclusion was that Vladimir Laitanan had abused her, raped her but she had put up with it only to protect her cover and her mission. That explained why a perfectly well trained agent, who knew how to fight and use a gun, had been harmed like that.

"And she didn't say anything about this to you or Hastings. Didn't she?" Jack asked rhetorically knowing Renee well enough to figure out the answer.

"No. What's this about, Jack?"

For a moment, he got lost in thoughts looking to Vladimir's hideout. His heart was breaking into tiny little pieces. He suddenly could see what she was doing. He had done it way before her. How many times he had taken up a suicide mission to help his country by fulfilling his death wish? Each of those times he had survived for reasons beyond his control, against his wishes.

"Jack?" Chloe insisted noticing her friend had drifted off.

"There is something you don't know, Chloe. After she left the FBI, Renee went into a tailspin. She tried to kill herself at least once that I know about" he struggled to keep his voice from breaking. But it was too damn hard for him to acknowledge that had actually happened. Those scars on her wrists truly existed. And it was even harder to admit how she had fooled him. Not being able to conceal how much it was hurting him, he added "For a while she seemed to be past that. I was actually sure she was better, when she and I… but now… now it looks like… I can see in her eyes that she…" _She doesn't want to live._ He couldn't even say it out loud.

But he didn't have to. Chloe got it instantly. "You think she's purposely putting herself in harm's way?"

"I don't think she cares what happens to her either way" He admitted feeling awful.

Truth be told, he cared about Renee in a way he shouldn't. She still meant so much to him. He could pretend she was nothing but his undercover partner… that he only cared about her because she was important for the mission. However, he knew he still loved her. His actual feelings were hidden deep inside his soul, under a cover of pride, anger and bitterness, but they were there.

Since it was too late now to do anything else, he went back to monitoring Renee, and made sure Chloe could also hear whatever came from Renee's earpiece.

**8.43 PM **

Six years ago, Vladimir Laitanan nearly killed Renee Zadan because it seemed that she had sold them out. But afterwards they saw evidence of her being arrested. Vladimir then leaned towards believing she was who she claimed to be. It was what he wanted to believe. But he had no way to be sure of the truth. Cutting Ziya's thumb was something a cop would do? Actually, it was. He knew the story of the KGB and the CIA. But was she a cop? Or did she actually want to do business with him again? That wasn't likely. But just for the sake of seeing her face again he was willing to keep an open mind.

Renee walked into the warehouse trying to maintain a cool demeanor, although she was terrified of ruining the operation. Of course Lugo thoroughly patted her down. Meanwhile, Vladimir was leaning across the room against a big toolbox with his back to her. She found that somewhat odd. She had expected Vladimir to watch her carefully from the get-go to decide whether she was lying or not. After Lugo was done searching her, she walked towards Vladimir with determination, like moving towards a target. She couldn't fail.

"Hello, Vlad" She greeted him trying to hide the disgust his mere name provoked her.

Vladimir heard her voice and his heart skipped a bit. He was feeling more nervous than he would ever admit. It had been so long since he had last seen her. He turned around fidgeting as he greeted her back "Renee"

Renee was shocked to see that the face which haunted her constantly wasn't there anymore. That explained why the bastard had been so difficult to find. She found it extremely unsettling to look at him without actually seeing him. Trying to hide her astonishment, she simply stated "You changed your face"

He lifted his chin showing off his new face "I had it done in Caracas. What do you think?"

_Hated the first one, and I'll surely detest the second one soon, _Renee thought. Knowing he was fishing for a compliment, she tried to act at ease and told him "Makes you look younger. I should get the name of that doctor"

"He's not practicing anymore. A sad story" He said cynically, in case she had forgotten how dangerous he was.

Renee gave him half a smile and shrugged like saying 'naturally'. Frankly, at this point, she was far from being as intimidated by him as he wanted her to be. Her life couldn't get any worse. She had nothing left to lose. But she still had one single thing to win though. _God, let me die after my mission is accomplished,_ she prayed silently.

Then Vladimir focused on the matter at hand "Our little friend here says you were in Mexico City. For what?"

"Had some business"

"Good for you. I have some contacts there myself"

"Yeah, I know you do"

"So… give me names." He challenged with a smirk.

First Renee gave him a '_Really, Vlad?_' look, acting offended that he didn't trust her. Then Jack found the names and gave them to her through her earpiece. So as if she had known those people her entire life, she told Vladimir "Uh... the Peralta-Rodriguez family. Castorenas in Guadalajara. Ramon Jimenez"

The Russian then saw a golden opportunity to make Renee slip. He mentioned, as if he were just making a regular conversation "I know Ramon. Is his brother Luis still running their heroin operations?"

Jack told her about Luis, so she replied to Vladimir "Not since he was killed by the Federales nine months ago"

Vladimir suddenly noticed Renee looked different as well, and not in a good way. That formerly sexy and beautiful woman now resembled a ghost. He walked towards her, piercing her with his eyes like he was examining her under a microscope. "You know, Renee, now that you mention it, there is something different about you, too"

Now she was a little freaked out. Had she blown off her cover merely with her shitty appearance? Trying to act like she wasn't scared, she asked "How do you mean?"

He got even closer, taking a better look at her "Your eyes. Your skin." Then he stated honestly "You look like hell."

_Always a charmer, _Renee thought sarcastically._ "_Well, it's hard to look your best with a gun in your face" She pointed out smoothly, nodding to the guy who had been pointing a weapon at her head the whole time.

Vladimir smirked and gestured his man to lower the weapon. Although he knew that wasn't her problem. He said somberly "No, that's not it. Something else. Have you been sick?"

Renee was slightly thrown aback by that question. He was getting too close to home. Had he gotten any information he shouldn't have about her medical history? What exactly did he know? He had to know he had a VD. Was he trying to find out whether she had gotten it? Struggling to remain calm, she lied "No"

Vladimir walked around her, lurking her like a wolf. Renee looked down for just a moment, not wanting her eyes to reveal anything. He was plainly an asshole just toying with her.

"Maybe you picked up a little Hepatitis C on your travels? Where were you staying in Mexico City?"

Everything was to test her. Barely managing to conceal her anger, she replied "The Bella. Bella Noche Hotel."

"Bella Noche, naturally" He said knowing any idiot could get the name of that hotel, so he added "Then, of course, you must know the government official who allows it to operate without police interference."

Jack got alarmed when he noticed that the politician's name wasn't on the cover profile as it should. He asked Chloe about it. But nobody at CTU had it. The data analyst began digging into the Drug Enforcement Administration Data base. But she was being too slow for Jack's taste, he then urged anxiously "Come on. Chloe."

"Give me a minute" Chloe asked feeling upset. If Dana Walsh were focusing on her work instead on God only knew what personal affair she had, the name they needed would be on the profile.

"She doesn't have a minute!" Jack shouted angrily, getting truly nervous.

Renee tried to buy some time acting like she was annoyed by Vladimir's questioning. But the Russian was truly pissed off and yelled right in her face "Waiting for a name!"

"Go ahead, tell him" Ziya demanded her alarmed. If she was lying, he was so dead.

Still nothing from Jack. What the hell was going on? Trying to buy more time, she acted as if she were extremely offended by Vladimir's lack of trust and hissed "Really getting tired of this, Vlad."

"His name!" Vladimir insisted yelling even louder.

Jack finally told her what she needed to know. So she got closer to Vladimir, and told him lying thought her teeth "Raul Castillo, all right? Are we done playing 20 questions now?"

He took his time to look deep into her eyes and then declared "yes, I believe we are" He laughed thinking she was such a strange person in a funny way. "You know, Renee, I had almost forgotten how much fun you are. You're not like other women. You have balls"

"You always did say the nicest things." She told him sarcastically, already used to comments like that from him, and then she added seriously "Can we talk about this deal now?"

But Vladimir wasn't planning to take such a high risk. He had to protect his organization. "I wish it were that simple…" he said almost sadly, and then he ordered rapidly to Lugo "Tie her up"

Jack startled stunned as he heard that. What the hell…? She had said everything right.

Renee was just as shocked. As Lugo handcuffed her, she asked astonished "What? Vlad, what are you doing?"

"You gave me all the right answers, Renee, but you're not telling the truth."

"You're making a mistake. This is the chance of a lifetime." She said as firmly and convincingly as she could.

But Vladimir ordered his men to put her and Ziya inside the trunk of a car. Renee just gave Vladimir a cold stare. Then Lugo pushed her inside the trunk and stuffed Ziya right next to her. All she could think about was on how badly she had failed. She had been busted far so soon. Now the entire operation would go down the toilet.

Jack heard Ziya loudly babbling about his innocence, trying to get himself out of the situation. Then he heard the harsh sound of the trunk lid closing, which almost pierced his ear. Then he couldn't hear anything else. He tried calling for Renee. There was no response. He was close to freaking out "Chloe, I don't have her!"

"Then the car must be armored. Either that or her comm shorted out." Chloe explained.

From where he was sitting, Jack saw a car pulling out into the alley, He immediately began following it while Chloe was monitoring via satellite. He couldn't intercept the armored vehicle without tactical support. Chloe agreed to ask Hastings to gather a TAC team. Jack added "Tell him I see four men in the car, and we're going to have to assume they're taking Renee somewhere to kill her" He could barely handle just saying so. Then he yelled at the top of his lungs "Damn it!"

**08.55 PM**

While he kept following the car, Jack out of the blue heard sound coming from Renee's earpiece again. He could hear more of Ziya's whining and begging. And it was obvious the car had stopped. But how come the vehicle he was following was still moving? He suddenly realized he had been tricked like an idiot. "Chloe, we're following a decoy. They must have left in another vehicle. Find it!"

Then Chloe said "Jack, another car drove out of the back of the building five minutes after the first one."

"Are you kidding me?"He shouted furiously. How could this happen? How could he let this happen? He was supposed to take care of her. It didn't even matter why at this point. He just had to protect her.

Finally, they found out where she was, but the TAC Teams where ten minutes away. That was too far away. "Tell them to move it. Put me back on to Renee's comm." He ordered frenetically and then yelled again "Damn it!" Next he abruptly turned his car around to try to get to Renee as soon as possible driving like a maniac.

_So, this is really going to be it, _Renee thought while she was inside the trunk, in the dark and trapped. It was strangely similar to being buried alive. Except now she wasn't scared. She was just sad. She would die soon, and what had she done with her life? What did she have? She couldn't even do her damn job right. She had gotten beaten up and raped. She had lost her soul in order to make justice, and failed. She had been fired because she was a monster. She had tried to kill herself and failed at that too. She had fallen in love with Jack, but she couldn't be with him because she was too damaged. And now she had tried to do this one thing right, and also failed.

She was pulled out of the trunk and taken by the side of the river. She felt so incredibly depressed all the sudden. She had made so many mistakes. She had hoped so badly to do at least one good thing before dying.

"Renee, it's Jack. I know you can hear me. Vladimir had us following a decoy. TAC teams are ten minutes out. I'm on my way now. Do whatever you have to buy time."

Then Renee just knew it. She realized it truly didn't matter if she died now. Jack would never made it soon enough to save her anyway. But right after Vladimir executed her, the Russians would find themselves surrounded by a whole squad of federal agents who would get Vladimir, death or alive. He wouldn't have time to escape. They could force him to cooperate. They could get any valuable information he had to get to the nuclear weapons. Her job was pretty much done.

Vladimir cocked his gun and ordered his two hostages to go on their knees. While Renee obeyed silently, Ziya just wouldn't stop whining pathetically. He didn't give a damn about what Ziya was saying. All he wanted to hear was what Renee had to say for herself, he wanted to hear the truth from her lips. He told her "I'm going to give you one last chance to tell me what is going on." But she just stared up at him blankly, while Ziya kept talking. And since that guy just wouldn't shut up, Vladimir shot him twice on the chest, without taking his eyes off Renee.

"No!" Jack screamed in desperation when he heard two gun shots. It wasn't possible. He just couldn't lose her. He had to get there and rescue her. "Renee?" He called after her, knowing that even if she was alive she couldn't really talk to him. But he just wanted to hear her voice.

Vladimir couldn't believe what he was looking at. Renee's face remained like a stone the whole time. She didn't even do that blinking thing she normally did when she was nervous and tried to hide it. He said impressed "Amazing. You didn't even blink."

_Who? Who didn't even blink? _Jack thought anxiously after hearing that. Was Laitanan talking to Renee? But whoever the Russian was talking to, had no reaction whatsoever when somebody else died. That just wasn't Renee. It couldn't be her. If only he could hear her voice. He wanted her to say something, anything.

Vladimir raised his gun and aimed it right to her face. She wouldn't feel any more pain. She wouldn't cause any more pain. She closed her eyes fully prepared to die and told him "Go ahead. Just get it over with"

"Renee, what the hell are you doing?" Jack asked her already knowing the answer, but refusing to accept it.

"Not yet" Vladimir told her.

Renee looked at Vladimir full of anger. "For God's sake, don't make me grovel. Just pull the damn trigger."

"First I want to hear the truth. I want to know who you really are." Vladimir demanded.

_Who I really am? I'm a failure. A murderer. A torturer. A baby-threatening monster. A lunatic, or "unstable". I can't even call myself Agent Renee Walker anymore. I became such a disgrace. I can't be with Jack because I'm too damaged and he deserves so much better. _

Renee scoffed and then asked cynically "Who I really am?"

"Yeah, who you are, not a game, Renee... or whatever your name is."

"Fine, you want the truth? I'll tell you the truth." She said acidly. The truth would poison him. Knowing she had only gotten near him in the first place to send him to prison. Knowing she hated his guts. Knowing he had killed his own child. Knowing how much she loved another man. It would poison him. But sadly she couldn't tell him all that. Not with Jack listening anyway. However, for the very first time, she would tell Vladimir Laitanan at least a short version of the truth. "You were right, I am sick. I am so sick of living like this. The truth is... even if you let me walk right now... I have nowhere to go and no one to go to." She couldn't help a tear roll from her eye down her cheek after saying that. For the billionth time in the past week, she wished she was good enough to be with Jack, only to be hit with the painful realization that she wasn't, that she could never be. Being successful in this mission was the only reason she had to live. Now that was gone too. She added "You don't want to do this deal, fine. Then you might as well just kill me because this deal is the only thing that I have".

"Renee, please don't do this, please." Jack didn't even care if he had to beg. It was breaking his heart listening to every one of her words knowing she meant them. Merely a week ago he had her in his arms. They had made love. They had agreed to go to California together. God, had it really been only a week since then? What the hell happened to her?

Renee could hear Jack. He sounded so upset. But if she lived, he would only suffer more in the long term. She had caused enough pain already. So she told Vladimir "Besides, you wouldn't be doing anything that I haven't already tried myself." But Vladimir did nothing. So she insisted "Do it." But he still did nothing. It infuriated her. That man just couldn't even do one favor to her. She yelled at him furiously "Do it! Pull the trigger!"

Vladimir pressed his gun against her forehead and looked into her eyes. Now he believed her. She had been so honest right then. Suddenly, he had Renee right where he had always wanted her… on her knees and desperate to be with him. She was so desperate that she was saying she didn't want to live if he refused to make this deal with her. Wow, for once she wanted him. It was odd to say the least, given how uptight she used to be, and everything that had happened between them, but it was an opportunity too good to let pass. He lowered his gun, and told her "I had to be sure. You understand, right?"

"Yes." She replied honestly and resignedly at the same time. Then Vladimir smirked and licked slightly his lower lip. Yes, she definitely understood what she had just unwillingly done. After he walked away from her, she remained on her knees. She just couldn't get up. She was petrified.

Meanwhile, Jack had nearly peed on his pants of relief. She was alive. Whether she wanted it or not, she was alive. That gave him a little bit more time to try to rescue her. He was too overwhelmed thinking on Renee and what she had just said. He was barely listening when Hastings announced the TAC teams where almost there.

"Jack? Do you copy? Are you there?" Chloe insisted when Jack never replied the CTU director.

"You tell the TAC teams to stand down". He said quickly snapping back to reality. Those teams better not arrive now. Or Renee would never be able to get herself out of that one.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked intrigued and confused.

"She's in. They bought her cover". He explained sadly with his voice nearly breaking and his eyes close to tear up. He knew Renee's death wish had been no cover.

More than ever, he felt a consuming and overpowering desire to rescue her, even if that meant saving her from herself.

**TO BE CONTINUED…..**

**(please, tell me what you think… reviews are truly welcomed!)**


	5. Striking unholy Allegiances

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Renee sees Vladimir for the first time in six years and tries to sell her cover. He didn't buy her story, so he plans to execute her after making reveal the truth. Renee only tells him to just shoot her since she has no reason to live. Vladimir believes her, so instead of shooting, he plans to use her desperation for his advantage instead. Jack realizes to his horror that Vladimir is the guy who raped Renee and that her death wish is real.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 5:**

**STRIKING UNHOLY ALLEGIANCES**

**YEAR 2008 - NORTH OF MEXICO **

"You really did break out Salazar out of prison."Nina stated genuinely impressed as she walked towards Jack, who was tightly handcuffed to a chair. She didn't believe he had crossed to the dark side. She knew him. He was still Mr. Clean. She guessed he had to be working with the Salazars undercover. But it never ceased to amaze her how far he was capable of going just for a mission. Helping a dangerous criminal to escape justice? Jack really had no boundaries when it came to get his job done, didn't he? He would truly do anything for his country. Anything.

"I'm not the man you knew before." He told her trying to sound honest. He had to convincingly sell his cover to her in order to accomplish his mission, and to find a way to come out of all this alive.

"Well, I don't know about that." She said kneeling in front of him and putting her hands on his tights. She wondered how far he would go to get her cooperation, and added "But for 20 million dollars I'm gonna keep an open mind."

Jack looked at her hand as she caressed his leg. That same hand had murdered Teri. He found Nina's mere proximity disgusting. Just looking at her made his blood boil. But as angry and repulsed as he felt, he managed to keep an unaffected face as he just stared at her silently.

Seeing he wasn't even trying to stop her, Nina carried on "So, Jack, if we're going forward with this, I have to know one thing. Are you gonna be able to forgive me for killing Teri?"

How dared she make that question? But as much as he hated Nina, he had to continue the charade and fool that bitch. He could always get his revenge later, at a better time. So he told her, "If I wanted revenge, Nina, I would have killed you already. You know that. It's like I said, all I wanna do is finish this deal and disappear for good."

Nina just kept looking at him, hypnotized by those beautiful greenish eyes. He had always been so irresistible. And now she had him in a position in which he couldn't say no to her. So she whispered "Convince me."

Jack had no choice. He leaned forward, closed her eyes and kissed her, feeling more disgusted of himself than ever. She made him sick. And he was definitely making himself sick. Every second his lips touched Nina's it was like a spit in Teri's grave. It was the ultimate betrayal to his wife's memory. Deep inside, Jack kept accumulating all loathe and anger he felt but couldn't show, just not yet.

Nina decided to savor the moment for as long as possible before calling bullshit on him.

**May 20****th**** - YEAR 2018 **

**09:02 PM**

Jack drove as fast as possible to get to the dock where the Russians had Renee. His face was entirely damped in sweat. He had been sweating cold, terrified for the past ten minutes. He had to see her with his own eyes. Without being seen, he peered out at the riverbank where Renee was on her knees, in the mug, with her arms handcuffed behind her back. It was heartbreaking to watch her in such a crappy position. But at least she was alive. If only she valued that. He let her know over comm. "Renee, I've got a visual on you. I'm going off comm. for a minute."

Renee of course couldn't tell him anything. But she wanted to yell Jack at the top of her lungs to go away. She didn't want him to see her like this. "Are you all right?" Vladimir asked and took her handcuffs off. Renee just nodded. She didn't really know exactly how she felt. It was simply too unbelievable. Her death wish still remained unfilled. She was still alive against her own will. And she wondered what the hell did that mean. The conversation she had with Jackie Thomas after cutting her wrists and surviving against all odds now played clearly in her head.

"_I know you can't see it now, my dear. But you have someone up there looking after you. I mean, I feel someone or something made me come right before it was too late"._

"_I'm sorry, but I don't believe in any of that" _

"_You should. Because it was too much of a coincidence, it has to mean something. Think about it. I think there is a reason why they wanted you to live"_

Was there really a reason why she was meant to be alive? Under the current circumstances, Renee figured she was meant to do her job right and neutralize the ongoing threat against her nation. Perhaps that was her destiny. That didn't make her feel any better, but it gave her more determination to carry on with this mission till the end.

Jack called to CTU from his cell phone as soon as Renee couldn't hear him. He asked Chloe to monitor Renee so he could speak to Hastings, and he then told the CTU director, "We need to pull Renee Walker out now." After Hastings asked why, Jack explained "Because she's a danger to herself and this mission. Ten minutes ago, Laitanan threatened to execute her, she said she was sick of living and wanted to die and she meant it."

Hastings couldn't help half a smirk, as he said "She must've been playing him."

"No. She doesn't care what happens to her, that's what makes her dangerous. She's like a bomb ready to go off. We need to get her out of there before that happens." Jack insisted getting increasingly anxious. Except Hastings told him they couldn't just roll up the operation before finding the nuclear rods. Jack understood that. But there had to be another way. He suggested "We can arrest Laitanan. If he knows how to find the rods, I will make him talk." _And_ _I'm so gonna enjoy that_, Jack thought, but wisely didn't say out loud.

Hastings was horrified by the mere idea. "If you're saying what I think you are, we don't do that anymore."

Jack rolled his eyes. He was simply desperate to find a way out for Renee. So he suggested offering Laitanan immunity. However Hastings didn't think that would work. And Jack couldn't exactly deny that it was a long shot. Barely hiding how nervous he felt, he threatened "Then you better find another way, because I am not gonna let Renee die because CTU did their job badly. I will not let that happen. Do you understand me?"

Jack then came up with an impulsive idea. He would take Renee's place in the undercover operation as soon as he could get in as Ernst Meir. Hastings would allow it, as long as Jack could pull that off without risking the mission.

Jack had always blamed himself for grossly failing her when they first met. So he had made a solemn promise to himself when they were still together, he had vowed to protect her and bring her back from that dark place she was in. Although they were now apart, he still wanted to keep that promise. He had to. He could tell she needed him more than ever. And even if she didn't want to be _with_ him in _that way_, he could still just be there _for _her. All he knew for sure was that he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

**9.07 PM**

The short drive back to the gang's hideout had been a silent one. Renee could feel the tension between Vladimir and the other men. She guessed they were pissed because their boss was putting everyone at huge risk over some crazy chick he had a crush on. But they were obligated to do whatever Vladimir wanted, whether they liked it or not. Lugo roughly grabbed her by the arm as he pulled her out the vehicle and led her inside the hideout.

Once in there, Vladimir predictably asked to be left alone with her. Renee was less than thrilled with the prospect, but having little choice, she followed him anyway. They walked through the garage into Vladimir's office witch spoke volumes of how badly he had fallen. It was nothing like the one at the very fancy house where Vladimir used to live and work. Even thought he kept his new office decorated with some framed pictures and, naturally, a shelf with trophies he had won when he used to compete in car races.

He sat behind his desk and asked in a business tone about the buyer. She told him it was Ernst Meier, a German arms dealer who did most of his business in Asia but had just started branching out into North America. Vladimir gave her a quick skeptical look and then asked "What's he looking to buy?" When Renee replied "Weapons-grade uranium.", as if she were saying 'a bag of chips', Vladimir stared at her in disbelief. For a second, he was about to laugh at her joke. But Renee didn't look like she was kidding. Then he stated surprised, "You're serious".

"Very." She assured him, noticing Vladimir was already concerned. And then she added, "Someone in the Russian Syndicate smuggled nuclear fuel rods out of the Ukraine. They're planning on selling them on the open market."

Vladimir shook his head, trying to conceal his astonishment. He had heard rumors about that, but never wanted anything to do with it. Playing dumb, he told her "I... I have no idea what you're talking about." But Renee gave him a '_please! You think I'm stupid?_' stare, so he told her seriously "I don't, Renee."

If he refused to help then the entire mission would go down the toilet. Nearly clenching her teeth, trying to conceal her anxiety, she told him "But you can find out. You're very well connected".

Getting even more serious, he closed his laptop and told her "I have always admired your ambition, but you're chasing the devil. Dealing AK-47s- no one really cares. But nuclear material?"

As far as she was concerned, she had already found the devil. Now she just had to make a pact with him. She gave the argument she was sure would get Vladimir on board "But the profit is worth it."

Vladimir instantly thought he had the perfect way to get her. He stood up, and walking towards her said "You need money, huh? You can always come work for me."

_First I'd let a shark eat me alive, _was Renee's instant thought. She then came up quickly with an excuse to reject his offer without pissing him off. "No, I'm doing this so I don't ever have to work for anyone."

He stared at her like trying to figure out whether she'd meant that. Then he asked her to take a seat. She sat on a couch in front of him. And he asked her how much his cooperation would worth. Knowing the money would surely tempt him, she offered thirty percent of the deal, which was more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But Vladimir was still hesitant. She was already getting too impatient; they were running out of time, and he was already getting on her nerves. She told him "Look, Meier says these rods are going to be sold soon, so if we want to make a counter bid, it has to happen fast. If you don't know anything, tell me, so I can go somewhere else."

Vladimir was so not tempted with the idea of messing with nukes, and felt puzzled by the fact that she was. And how the hell had she gotten all that information? He figured that Meir guy had to be a real devil. He didn't like one bit the so called partnership between that guy and Renee. "How well do you know this man? You trust him?"

"There's no one I trust more." She said sincerely, and hoping Jack got right then she wasn't truly talking about Meier. Then she lied saying "I've been with him for two years."

Detesting how that had sounded Vladimir asked "What do you mean 'with'?"

"It's professional." Renee rushed to clarify, afraid of getting Jack in trouble. "Can you help us or not?"

He wasn't planning to. But he had something quite different in mind. He stood up and told her "I'll make a few calls, see what I can find out. But, uh, I'm going to have to meet this Meier. And I need a good faith payment up front." After she asked him how much, he told her "Five million."

"That's a lot of money, Vlad." Renee pretended to balk at the figure. It wasn't like she could casually shrug and tell him that was just a drop in the bucket of the US Homeland Security budget. But Vladimir staid firm, saying that was his '_price of admission_'. So she agreed to present those terms to her partner.

Vladimir then said somebody would meet Meier on the roof of a parking garage, in the corner of 12th and Market Street and added "Once the money is in our account, they'll bring him back here, we will talk." Renee said she would give the German a call. Then, delighted by her presence, Vladimir stared at her eyes and then said "It's good to see you. You're going to make me start losing sleep again."

That sent her a shiver right thought her spine. But she made her best to look unaffected and make sure he kept his mind in the business. She told him "I'll let you know what Meier says."

Vladimir left to talk to his men, leaving her alone in his office. As soon as the Russian was out, Renee quickly searched for any possible listening devises. Then she asked Jack through her earpiece whether he was listening.

"Yeah, we're ready to wire the money to his account."

"When can you be there?" Frankly, she was starting to feel terrified of being alone with Vladimir.

"As soon as I finish prepping my cover. I'm almost at the staging area. 30 minutes tops." He could sense in her voice that she was frightened. He wished he could be there sooner. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her that he knew the truth about Vladimir, that he was worried sick about her and that he regretted saying she had played him when what he truly wanted was to ask her what had made her leave his side. But of course, he couldn't say any of those things. Renee always hated to feel vulnerable and exposed, just like he did. He decided to simply ask her in a friendly manner, "How you holding up?"

Renee couldn't truly fool him. Jack had already heard too much and probably read her undercover file. Perhaps he had even figured out a lot of what the file didn't say. So she had to admit "It's hard to be in the same room with this son of a bitch." But then to reassure him, she added "But I can handle it."

Of course she could. The problem was she didn't want to. It was clear to Jack that she currently lacked the willingness to fight for herself. So recalling a quote from their favorite book, he told her "I know, just remember… Being unconquerable lies with yourself"

"The Art of War", Renee whispered absolutely moved. It was his special way to tell her that she could get through this if she wanted to. And that book reminded her of what she had shared with him when they were together. She could only imagine what he must be thinking of her. Given the way she had left and how messed up she was a week after that. There was so much she wished she could tell him. So much she wished she could explain. But nothing seemed appropriate given the circumstances. And whatever happened, all she truly needed Jack to know was that what they had shared those seven weeks had been real. "Jack… I… I never… I never played you"

_Then what the hell went wrong?_ Jack thought, feeling a huge lump on his throat. He swallowed hard, and then said "Look, Renee… just… I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay." She whispered. Then resignedly she sat on the arm of Vladimir's couch to wait.

**9.20 PM**

Vladimir went back to his office, and he was pleased to hear Meier had agreed to the conditions and would be at the parking garage in twenty minutes. "Very good. We have a little time to catch up." he said going to the sideboard as he filled himself a glass of scotch, and then offered Renee one "Do you still like your single malts?"

"Uh, not right now." The mere mention of that drink brought back the most disturbing memories. But Vladimir insisted saying it was a thirty year bottle. But all she could see was herself, six years younger, drinking that same scotch as he caressed her knee. Trying not to sound nervous, she muttered "No, thanks."

"What you said earlier, down at the river, you were tired of living, wanted to die. What happened to you?"

She didn't want to even remember anything of what had led her to that moment. She didn't wish to talk about it with anybody, let alone him. She tried to dismiss him saying "It's not important."

"It is to me." Vladimir insisted as he seriously looked at her in the eyes.

_Since when?,_ She was despising every second he laid eyes on her and every single one of his words. She didn't want to talk to him at all. She just wanted to successfully conclude this mission. So she could honestly tell him "Look, you don't have to worry about it. Once I make this deal, none of it will matter."

"Well, you're not the only one who's been suffering these past few years." He pointed out as he had a drink. Then he leaned against the sideboard looking hurt and added "It's hard for me to admit, but, uh... I never forgave myself for what I did to you."

_Oh, yeah! Poor you! And what makes you feel worse? The raping, the harassing, the beating, the insults, the VD? Or perhaps causing me to miscarry was just too damn hard for you? _ Renee thought sarcastically and wondered if he even knew about the miscarriage. But with Jack listening, she wasn't even gonna risk finding that out. She told him dryly "It's in the past. Forget it."

As he heard that son of a bitch over the earpiece, Jack's blood was boiling. How dared he? That bastard had broken her ribs, her beautiful face and raped her. How could that Russian bastard think, even for a second, that there were some acceptable excuses for those sorts of actions?

But Vladimir persisted "I don't want to forget it. I had too much to drink that night, I wasn't thinking clearly."

And that was exactly why the drink he was having at that moment was making Renee extremely nervous. She told him bitterly "Wow. Never heard you apologize for anything. It's definitely a first."

Vladimir felt outraged. He walked closer to her yelling "Look, I'm just trying to make things right. You don't have to be such a bitch about it."

That made her furious. She stood up and snapped at him "Was I being a bitch? Maybe I should apologize."

"Oh, you're something else. You never back down, do you?" he smirked at her, and then lowering his voice he whispered with his face merely inches from her "I've missed our little arguments".

Renee was then terrified. She remembered too well those eyes, that kind of look. Trying not to look frightened, she stepped away from him and sat on the arm of the couch again. She couldn't even look at him. But Vladimir put a hand on her shoulder and then rubbed her neck saying "You're still nervous around me. I shouldn't be surprised."

Renee could barely take it, a mixture of fear and disgust was taking over her. That hand on her felt like a big poisonous spider walking over her. She could barely summon the strength to tell him "It's not you."

"Someone else?" He asked, suspecting she was sleeping with Meier.

"No." She told him as firmly as she could. Then he asked her what it was. Frankly, it was that hand of his. She just wanted it away from her. Not even bothering pretending she was at ease, she used the most plausible excuse for her tension she could think of "Look, I'm just...I'm just nervous about the deal. Could be a lot of money at stake."

"There's more for you here than just money, if you want it" He suggested with his hand on her back.

_Not even if you were the only man over the entire earth. _She stood up straight away trying to stay away from him. And she told him extremely somberly "Look... I didn't come here for this."

"Really. All the people you could've gone to" he said in disbelief, and then pointed out "you knocked on my door."

"Because you're connected" She replied, hardly believing he actually thought she was into him.

"That's the only reason?" He asked with incredulity.

"Yes." She affirmed, wondering why on earth he could possibly think she liked him.

"I don't believe you." He said daring her to contradict him.

"That's your problem." She snapped at him, realizing that crossing him probably wasn't the wisest move.

"You should watch your tongue. You might lose it one day." He threatened with his face inches away from hers.

She smelled the disgusting alcohol on his breath and had to look away. She was close to throw up. She couldn't stand being so close to him. She had to find a way to avoid him. "Uh... you said that I could get cleaned up."

"Yeah. Bathroom has a shower." He said getting a little closer to her.

"Thank you." She said instantly walking away from him. Once she got inside the bathroom, she locked the door and rested her head against it. She felt so sick and scared. But she had promised herself and Jack to be strong. She could get through this. She had to. She would take a long shower and stay locked in the bathroom as long as possible to give Jack enough time to arrive.

Meanwhile, Jack was at the edge of a nervous breakdown. He walked towards Cole Ortiz quickly as he yelled frantically at him "Agent Ortiz, we need to move now…. Now!"

**9.35 PM**

While she took a shower, Renee tried to absorb as much water as she could. She liked having hot water running all over her body. She liked the feeling of being wet. It made her feel pure somehow. She had to wash away all the memories that seeing Vladimir was bringing to her. It was all coming back to her. She could smell the alcohol. Her cheek was hurting. She felt blood coming out her nose after a harsh slap. Suddenly, her chest was hurting like hell until she could hardly breathe. She could feel him on top of her, touching every part of her, getting inside her. She cried softly. Until there was only water over her and as it got colder her mind became clearer. She couldn't fall apart. She had to be strong enough to accomplish her mission.

When she finally felt a bit calmer she opened the shower curtain, wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. But as soon as she did that, she saw Vladimir there, standing in the open doorway. She was shocked. She had locked that door. She had locked it. That bastard must have a spare key. She didn't know what to do, but as in a reflex, she tied the towel around herself even tighter. "You look thin." he pointed out.

Attempting not to show as much fear as she felt she told him "Be out in a minute."

"I don't want to wait that long."

"Vladimir, please, just let me get dressed." She didn't even care if that sounded like a desperate plea.

"Why waste the energy? I'll just have to get you undressed all over again." He said with a happy smile.

Renee dreaded there would not be a way out of this. He was serious. He actually believed it would happen. She turned around to face him as she told him "Look, I already told you I didn't come here for this".

"That's what you say, but part of you came here to see me. Admit it."

He had been so annoyingly arrogant saying that. But Renee stated definitely "There's nothing to admit."

"Why is it so hard for you to admit the truth? You want this just as much as I do."

"I'm not going to tell you again. Leave me alone and let me get dressed." It was clear enough that she meant it. But her voice wasn't nearly as steady and harsh as she would have wanted it to be. She couldn't hide how scared she felt. She was holding on to her towel, keeping her hands from trembling. And she needed all her strength just to avoid crumbling down completely in tears.

"Come here" Vladimir said, tired of her games and her rejection. But she didn't move. So he repeated "I said come here" She still wasn't doing as he said. He got tired of playing nice. Infuriated, he finished what was left of his scotch, and threw the glass against the wall as he yelled "Come here or get out. I call my men and the deal's off."

Renee flinched at the sound of that glass breaking. But then she just knew it. She couldn't let the entire mission go down the toilet because of her. She walked towards him, with sadness written all over her face. He started kissing her neck and then her shoulder while she flinched in repugnance. Then, before he could even think on taking her right there and then, while she still had her earpiece on, she gently stopped Vladimir's hand and acting as if she were more at ease, she told him "I'll, um... I'll take that drink now."

"Dry yourself off. Come out when you're ready." He whispered pleased, and left her alone in the bathroom.

Once alone, she slowly turned around and headed to the sink.

Jack had been helplessly listening to the whole exchange while his already existent wrath over Vladimir grew even deeper. And his heart was aching so badly for Renee. But he wasn't going to let that guy touch her. The mere idea was unthinkable to him. His voice was almost breaking as he asked "Renee, do you copy?"

She then felt like a stab right in her heart. The fact that Jack could hear everything only made the position in which she found herself more humiliating. Managing barely to raise her voice to a whisper, she said "Yeah, Jack."

"You don't have to do this. I've got a team standing by. We can get you out of there now." He assured her.

"Where would that leave us? I've got to stay under." She murmured as she shook her head defeated.

"We'll find another way." Jack guaranteed her anxiously. They would have to find another way. He wouldn't let her do it. That was simply unacceptable. _That bastard can't have her… and he won't_, Jack thought.

"There is no other way." Renee could barely speak. A tear rolled down her cheek. Couldn't Jack see that? They needed Vladimir to get the nuclear rods, and she was what Vladimir wanted in return. The terms of the agreement were painfully clear, to help them Laitanan wanted five millions and full access to Renee Zadan. She had suddenly been reduced to an object, a non negotiable point in a contract.

"Renee, don't do this. Renee..." He was desperate to stop her. He would find another way because he cared too damn much about her. No mission was worth what she was willing to give. It suddenly hit him that he didn't care about getting the necessary results, which had to mean he was actually mad about her.

Renee knew she had to stop listening to his voice as soon as possible or she would never be able to do it. So before he could say another word, she interrupted him dryly "Go meet Vlad's men. I'll see you when you get here."

"Why won't you listen to me?" Jack complained desperately. Why didn't she ever listen to him?

She just cut him short announcing "I'm going dark." That was something that in a certain way she had done a long time ago. She took off her earpiece from her ear and washed it down the sink.

In his car, Jack urgently kept talking to the earpiece. "Renee, wait... Don't do it… I can't…" Then he realized Renee had already gone off comm. She was going to do it. She would give herself away to that son of a bitch. Jack suddenly felt an irrational wave of jealousy and blinding rage. He nearly collided against another car. So he had to pull over for a moment. He unleashed all his fury and frustration hitting the steering wheel as he yelled "damn it!"

After getting rid of the earpiece, Renee looked up and saw her own reflection in the mirror. She couldn't even tremble one bit. It was up to her to recover those nuclear weapons and stop the threat. Vladimir would get arrested at the end. She would be the one to make that happen.

**9.40 PM**

In his office, Vladimir was filling two glasses of scotch by the side board. He heard the door of the bathroom closing behind him and turned around. It was Renee finally coming to him. The fact that she was only wearing that towel around herself was extremely arousing. He smirked as he handed her a glass of scotch, and as fast as he could he got rid of his t-shirt and his pants saying "Must catch up with you"

Renee forced herself to at least smile a little. But pretending she didn't want to throw up at the sight of Vladimir wearing only his boxers was incredibly hard. And also, she couldn't stop thinking about Jack. Jack and his beautiful eyes, his strong but gentle arms, his bad-guy tattoos which she knew were only a cover, his well shaped torso and his back with the scars she knew by heart now , the scars that indicated he was a true hero. She also thought of those adorable wrinkles on the side of his eyes. She adored everything about him. She missed him badly. And even though she couldn't have him anymore, she didn't want anybody else. She couldn't even stand to look at a different body, let alone Vladimir's. Trying to give herself the strength to carry on and do it anyway she drank the entire glass of scotch in one quick motion.

Vladimir got much closer to her, took the empty glass from her hands, kissed her neck again, and then put the glasses over the sideboard. He wanted the real fun to start already. Grinning, he tightly held her putting his arms around her waist. Then he kissed her lips as his hands lowered to touch her ass. But he noticed that Renee seemed practically paralyzed. Her lips remained wide shut. He guessed she was still worried about that 'partner' of hers. But Meier would never know anything because Lugo was going to kill that German who had been nailing her for the past two years. While he kissed her neck, he told her "relax, Meier will never know about this".

It then became obvious to her that Vladimir was under the crazy delusion that her rejection was only because of 'Meier'. She desperately needed to get that idea out of Vladimir's head. That Russian bastard was capable of killing Jack out of jealousy. She couldn't let that happen. No way. Making a huge effort, she caressed Vladimir's back and tried to sound honest. "Look, all he and I care about is the deal… work… money… that's all. He doesn't care about me and I don't care about him."

Tired of her talking, he just whispered in her ear "prove it"

A chill suddenly ran through her spine. His creepy tone couldn't make it more obvious. Renee couldn't afford to even flinch, otherwise Jack could get killed. Again, she tried to conceal her disgust. She put her arms around Vladimir's neck, closed her eyes and kissed him. His tongue caressed hers with fury as his hands quickly got rid of the towel. Then he desperately led her to the red couch and practically threw her over it. Instantly, he positioned himself on top of her. Then he took her the same way he took a drink: with one compulsive, careless and fast shot.

Once he was done he put his underwear on and tossed the towel to her, smiling with satisfaction. Renee couldn't allow herself to even think about what had happened. Now that guy had been inside her again. Above all she felt dirty, poisoned, contaminated. She also felt about to explode in anger and deep loathe at any second. Except that she couldn't even move, she just wrapped her body with the towel and remained lying on the couch. All her energy had been drained out of her body.

She wanted to run away to the house where she grew up, get in her old bed and hide underneath the blankets to sleep there forever. Like she had wanted to do all those mornings after leaving the FBI, when she woke up too worn out to do anything, so she just stayed in bed the entire day staring at the dark space, and if some light sneaked through the curtains she just hid her head under her covers or her pillow.

She remembered how Jack used to make love to her until they both dropped next to each other feeling extremely drained out, but amazingly complete. She could do nothing but stare marveled at him. She couldn't move and she didn't even want to. All she wanted was to stay in bed forever resting safe in his arms. Making love with Jack always made her lose her mind in such a fantastic way. Now she found herself missing that feeling more than ever.

At some point she overheard Vladimir talking with Lugo. For what she could gather, Jack was already in the meeting point doing his part. After that phone call was over, she finally summoned the strength to get up and head to the bathroom. She didn't dare to take another shower. She was desperate to get clean. But she didn't want to give Vladimir any other crazy idea. Instead, she washed her face, her mouth and her neck which he had kissed a lot. There wasn't enough soap and water in the universe.

**9.5****4 PM**

Once she was fully dressed, she tied her hair up in a pony tail as she went to the office where Vladimir seemed to be working on his laptop. Now that she had already done the most horrible part of the mission Renee felt closer to the finish line and wanted to run towards it at full speed. But according to Vladimir the money hadn't been transferred yet. She felt too anxious to wait any longer to make some progress "My partner's good for the money, Vladimir. You should be making calls, tracking down the rods."

"I'm not going to make any calls, 'cause there isn't going to be any deal with your partner."

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a 'yeah, right' tone.

"Once we have the money... it's over. We don't need him anymore. And we'll be 5 million richer." Vladimir announced walking towards her, as if that were the most logical and smartest plan in the universe.

"You son of a bitch." Renee was absolutely outraged, she felt like a complete idiot for not seeing that one coming.

"Hey, I'm not a fool, Renee. I'm not about to get involved with the kind of people who traffic in nuclear arms."

_Oh, but killing one of those people it's much better, you idiot?_ Renee was extremely pissed and terrified. Not hiding her desperation, she said "Okay, Vladimir, listen, you can't do this."

"Why? This man means something to you?" He asked daring her to admit so.

After what she had done that bastard was still jealous? Renee was exasperated, but she pretended to be upset only about the money. "No, but I worked for more than a year to make this deal. I'm not just going to let it go because you don't have the guts to see it through."

"Hey, this isn't about guts. This is about being smart." He claimed.

He was such a disgusting weasel. He was absolutely gutless. Keeping up with her greedy charade, but not concealing the abhorrence she was feeling for him at that moment, she argued "Really? Is it smart to keep selling small arms for the rest of your life? I bring you the score of a lifetime, and you just piss it away? For what… for $5 million? How long is that going to last you?"

"Long enough."

Since greed clearly wasn't working to temp him, she tried the only thing other than money that pig cared about. She whispered "You're more than all this. I know it. It's why I brought this deal to you. We can do this. Together. Once we've made the deal and we have the money, we can be together." She had her face inches away from his. And she was acting as convincingly as she could. But she couldn't stand the mere image of Vladimir and her together. However, she managed to talk almost as she meant it. She put both of her hands on his cheeks and caressed them as she said "We could start over. Make our own moves. But I need my buyer… Alive." She couldn't have stressed the word 'alive' more. That was all that truly mattered to her.

Vladimir was lured for a moment. But then he decided that Renee would have to stay with him anyway, regardless of what happened to that German. So he told her "Sorry. This is the way I want it. You'll see. It's for the best."

Nothing was working. She desperately tried taking her cell phone and dialing Jack's number. Of course Vladimir wasn't going to let her, but she couldn't think straight. She just knew she couldn't let Jack die.

"Put down the phone." Vladimir demanded angrily. But she wasn't listening. "I said put it down!" Then he grabbed the cell phone from her, clamped his hand around her throat as he pushed her to the couch, and shouted threatening "Don't ever go against me! Renee, you should know that by now… OKAY?"

Then he let her go and walked away with her phone like nothing happened. Renee was absolutely petrified. Then she sat down gasping for air. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been.

For once, she had to agree with Vladimir about something. She should have known by now. She should have known that if she made a pact with the devil he would cheat rather than keep his part of it.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please, read and review)**


	6. Hate poisons your soul

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Renee's death wish remains unfulfilled. Jack asks Hastings to call off the mission, claiming she's a danger to herself. But with nuclear rods still missing, the mission can't end. So Jack promises to replace Renee on it. Vladimir threatens to call off the deal if Renee doesn't sleep with him and he's convinced she's sleeping with 'Meier'. She sleeps with him after realizing that's the only way to find the nuclear rods. But afterwards, she learns to her horror that Vladimir had already ordered to have Jack killed.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 6:**

**HATE POISONS YOUR SOUL**

**YEAR 2008 - October **

Jack silently swore to himself that Nina Myers would finally pay for everything. They were taking her back to CTU so they could ask her about the information she claimed to have. Jack was anticipating that moment with sick pleasure. He smirked and whispered in her ear, "Now I'll have my fun"

"They won't let you do it, Jack. Get real" Nina replied instantly with a smirk. She still had her one advantage. Soon enough they would know she had actually no truly useful information. But until then Jack couldn't hurt her, which had to be eating him alive. So she could do some torturing of her own with her words. "Besides… if you want to punish Teri's murderer, punish yourself. You must know by now her death was your fault."

"Shut up, damn it" Jack shouted full of rage. He had blamed himself for Teri's death a thousand times before. Nina had been the one pulling the trigger, but he had trusted that snake blindly until it was too late. In his eyes, that made him equally guilty. But he wouldn't allow Nina to point that out.

Nina turned suddenly somber. She knew this could be her last chance to tell Jack something she had wanted to tell him for too long. "The second you left me you created your own worst enemy. Nobody can hate you more fiercely than the same person who used to worship the very ground you walked on"

Jack was sitting in front of her in the back of the van trying to control himself, but as soon as she said those words a wave of fury overtook him. He launched against her and clamped one hand around her neck. Instantly, the agent in charge of protecting Nina interfered. While battling to separate Jack from that woman, he yelled the one thing that could work "Agent Bauer! Stop now! She has vital information and needs to be interrogated!"

Then Jack reluctantly let her go, groaning "damn it", and went back to his seat. He stared at her full of hate. He was grinding his teeth so hard he felt as if they were going to break. His fingers were curled so firmly into his hands that his knuckles were white and his nails were actually hurting his skin.

**CTU Los Angeles**** - 02:56:35 AM**

While Nina was being questioned about her sins, Jack had to take responsibility for his own and give his superiors an explanation regarding his drug use. Suddenly, Tony came into the room, practically soaked in Nina's blood, to announce that she had tried to kill herself during her interrogation forcing a needle into her carotid vain.

Jack instantly knew it was a stunt to get to the clinic. Ironically, Nina had learned that trick from him. When he still worked for the CIA, he had once escaped torture using exactly the same trick and then secretly squeezing the anesthesia tube to prevent being sedated. She was familiar with the story because he had shared it with her back in the old days of sex, tequila and weekends in Santa Barbara.

Soon, the alarms went off. Jack ran as fast as he could to the clinic, only to find the doctors dead and a nurse hurt. He had no time to even feel shocked about it, he had to find Nina before she could actually escape.

He reached the same room where Teri had been killed four years before. There Kim held a gun pointed at Nina with her hands actually shaking, clearly too scared to actually shoot. But Nina was about to use her own gun against his daughter, despite looking extremely tired and physically weak. Before that could happen, he shot Nina in the shoulder, knocking her down. Then, foreseeing what could happen he demanded Kim to leave the room and approached Nina cautiously pointing his gun at her. Once he made sure he was alone, Jack watched his worst enemy lying on the floor trying to reach her gun, just too physically wounded to take it.

He hated Nina for everything she had done.

He hated the fact that he had once been her lover and had trusted her blindly.

He hated that he had been forced to kiss her earlier that day.

At that moment Jack could see two clear choices: he could kick the gun away from her, take it, and send her back to prison, or he could kill her right there and then. Everything she had ever done to him suddenly flashed quickly in Jack's head. He made his choice. There was only one thing to find out. Even though he knew the truth, he asked only for confirmation, "You don't have any more useful information, do you, Nina?"

"I do!" Nina gasped not convincingly at all. Willing to fight till the end, she tried in vain to reach the gun that was just inches from her hand. But she could barely move.

"No. You, don't." Jack stated and instantly shot her three times straight-faced, felling nothing but hatred.

**YEAR 2018 – ****May 20****th**

**NEW YORK CITY ****- ****Vladimir Laitanan****'s warehouse.**

**09:55 PM**

Renee felt about to go out of her mind. There was nothing she could do for Jack except praying fiercely that he would find a way to get trough Vladimir's ambush alive. Something Jack Bauer could definitely do. But still, the mere possibility of Jack getting killed was truly unbearable. Suddenly, Vladimir's office phone started ringing. She jumped right on her feet and turned around expectantly.

Vladimir took the call assuming it was Lugo and said with satisfaction "I see we have the money. Is Meier dead?"

Renee didn't know the answer he got, but she watched Vladimir instantly losing all color from his face. Then he stood up looking scared and stunned as he whispered "Meier". So she sighed with immense relief. She could finally breathe normally again. The Russian paused to hear the other man and then looked at her, saying over the phone "She's right here. She's fine."

She had to act like she didn't care about Meier, so Renee looked down trying to restrain the smile that was appearing on her face. Just knowing Jack was alive gave her hope. As soon as this mission ended successfully Jack could finally be happy in California like he deserved. She had to stay away from him, for his sake. Maybe she could rebuild her life by making her career the center of her universe again. For just a moment, Renee fantasized with accepting her badge back despite of what she had said to Hastings.

Vladimir, looking abashed, held the phone towards Renee and told her "Say something to your partner."

"Meier, are you okay?" Renee asked anxiously. But to her huge disappointment she couldn't hear Jack's voice. Vladimir immediately snatched the phone back. She could only hear Vladimir's part of the conversation: "Satisfied?" Then he muttered nervously after a pause "Not necessarily. I'm willing to reconsider the situation." another awkward pause and then asked "Let me talk to my man." Then he ordered one of his men "Bring him back here." and finally replied "Yeah". All the time she shot darts at Vladimir with her look. She was so pissed that she didn't get to talk to Jack. After the phone conversation, Vladimir gave Renee a very angry stare and claimed to her "Your partner just took down three of my men… he couldn't have done that alone"

_Oh, yes, he could have,_ Renee thought. But she figured some other agent, probably Ortiz, must have posed as Meier's backup or something. She shrugged in a what-can-I-tell-you manner and said "he must have gone with some of his men as a precaution. You are hardly the first one who tries to take him down"

"Lugo is bringing him here right now" He announced as he went to the sidebar to drink some Vodka.

"Vlad, you should start making some calls now…I mean, you've tried to take him down. He must be pissed as hell and he's not a guy you want as enemy. So you might want to show some good faith" Renee alleged, eager to make some progress already. Vladimir agreed with her and began making some phone calls, actually willing to cooperate since the 'German' he had been too scared to deal with had proven to be even more dangerous than he had thought. Ironic, but everything seemed to be back on track.

**10:06 PM**

Jack entered the warehouse holding Lugo at gunpoint. Vladimir and Renee came out the back office to meet them. She was so not prepared for those silly glasses Jack was wearing to look 'German'. Her eyes popped wide open as she struggled not to laugh inappropriately. Jack was scared that if he looked at Renee he wouldn't be able to maintain his cover. So he kept an angry stare on Vladimir the entire time and complained, "So this is how you do business? I wire you the $5 million like we agreed, and then you try and take me out."

"I did not think you were for real. It was a misunderstanding, but it's past. We are here." Vladimir acted as if he had only stolen a cookie from a jar, and gestured one of his henchmen to lower the gun pointing at Meier.

"As an act of good faith, Vladimir has already started calling his contacts, inquiring about the nuclear materials." Renee explained trying desperately to smooth the tension.

"I don't care what he's done." Jack said without missing a beat. Then he addressed Renee "I want to talk to you."

"So talk." Vladimir said with a 'what's-stopping-you' tone.

Then Jack realized that to talk alone with Renee he would have to take a huge risk. He pushed harshly Lugo away from him and handed his gun to Vladimir, butt-first. Then he angrily demanded "I want to talk to my partner alone… now." After that he walked away to a prudent distance, giving his back to the others and took off his glasses.

"Look, he's upset, understandably. It'll be fine", Renee whispered reassuringly to Vladimir. Then she walked towards Jack feeling incredibly upset. What was he thinking giving his gun to that bastard? Now they could both get easily killed. Once he was facing him, she whispered pissed "What the hell are you doing?"

"I have authorization to pull you out." Jack whispered gently, knowing she wouldn't like that.

Was Jack crazy? She would never leave him alone with those guys, they would kill him. Who had authorized such insanity? She blinked nervously as she said with a mixture of complain and disbelief "No, that's not possible."

"Renee, you've taken us this far, I'm going to finish it."

"Jack, you can't. He doesn't trust you, first of all. The only reason he's agreeing to continue this is me." She was the bait. There was no way around it. She realized Jack was just trying to protect her. But that made her angry because she didn't deserve his protection. She wanted to yell at him to stop caring about her, to only care about the mission. Instead, she just whispered upset "I'm fine, really. You have to stop worrying about me"

Couldn't she see how impossible that was? He knew she was everything but fine. And he still cared about her more than he could admit. He still had certain feelings for her that he was not longer allowed to have. Then Vladimir called them to start the calls. Jack looked at him briefly. He definitely couldn't let Renee spend another minute near that bastard. Ignoring Vladimir, he whispered to her "You don't have a say in this. I am pulling you out."

She didn't have a say? There were two things about Jack that truly exasperated Renee: his God complex and his tendency to order her around. If she got pulled out, the mission would fail and Jack could get killed. So she had to stay and that was that. She hissed nervously "No! Look, it's not a big deal."

"I know what he _actually_ did to you six years ago, and it is a big deal." He stressed the word 'actually' on purpose to emphasize that he knew the truth. Not the sugar-coated version from the FBI file. Then he put quickly his glasses back on as a gesture which said 'that's-my-final-word'.

Renee was getting desperate. She didn't need Jack to remind her of what Vladimir had done. And he didn't even know half of it. But she had very important reasons to continue with the mission. So she decided to just spell it out for him exactly like it was. "Jack, if we stop this now, then everything that I have done is for nothing." She then begged him with her eyes not to do that to her as he looked back at her sadly.

Right on cue, just when they were talking about things she had done for the mission, Vladimir came towards them suddenly impatient to make those calls, and shouted at them "We're running out of time. Let's go."

Clearly, since 'Meier' was disarmed any intimidation Vladimir might have felt for the German arm dealer was gone. Renee just couldn't let all her sacrifices to be in vain. Then right before she let the Russian lead her to the back office, she told Jack anxiously "We're almost there, it'll be worth it."

_It has to be worth it. It better be worth it_, she thought desperately to herself.

Jack followed them to the office and watched Vladimir shamelessly grabbing Renee's butt. He had to count to ten and just swallow his fury and disgust.

"_It's necessary"- "It's the only way" - "There's no other choice" - "__I have to finish this" _- _ "It's our only chance" - "Trust me, I can do this."…_ Hadn't those always been sort of _his_ mantras? The way _he_ dealt with the word? Wasn't that the way _his_ brain worked? Indeed he understood in his mind what Renee had said. But he just couldn't accept it. He couldn't stomach what Renee had to do in order to get the necessary results. No mission was more important than her, unless not to him. And he couldn't even imagine how horrible all this must be for her.

**10:10: 22 PM**

Jack had to stand at a prudent distance from Renee, with Lugo watching him carefully, while she sat on the red couch looking miserable. He just couldn't take his eyes off her. He wished he could hold her, or at least take her hand, or caress her hair like he used to. But all he could do was to stare helplessly at her.

"Nothing. They did not appreciate being called so late…." Vladimir complained when he finished a phone call, and he headed to the sidebar for a drink. Then, he commanded "Renee, cut me some bread"

Renee looked surprised for a second, but then she obediently did as she was told. Vladimir served two shots of Vodka and offered one to Jack, even though both men looked like they would much rather beat each other up instead of share a drink. Jack glared disgusted at the Russian having a shot of Vodka like it was water. "You might want to ease up on the drinking. You've got some calls to make."

"I drink what I want." Vladimir responded arrogantly. Then, he shouted "Renee, where's the bread?"

"Coming" She rushed to reply. Everything was just way too familiar. Ever since she had seen Vladimir again it felt as if some time machine had taken her back six years past. But she had to stay focused in the present. This was a different mission. The outcome had to be different. This was her second chance.

"Drink!" the Russian barked at Jack, who reluctantly had to drink the Vodka to maintain his cover. Then Vladimir approached Renee and, after noticing how she was cutting the bread, protested upset "What is this? It is too thin".

"_What are you doing?" Vladimir yelled while Renee was making him a sandwich. Then he harshly pushed her away the counter, making her fall, and took over to prepare the snack as he liked while yelling "You are useless, Renee!"_

"_This crap you call a sandwich?"Vladimir shouted and then threw the plate against the wall, right next to where Renee was standing helplessly. The plate shattered in tiny pieces._

"_It is too spicy!" Vladimir complained after tasting the soup he had made Renee make. And immediately he smacked her across the face. _

One by one, those memories from the past displayed themselves in her mind in a matter of microseconds.

Then Renee recalled that particular morning Jack had taught her to make French toasts, and those other mornings when she was making breakfast and suddenly felt his arms around her and his lips on her neck. That had felt amazing every time. If only it were possible to get that back.

Instead, it was Vladimir who wrapped himself around her from behind and took her hand, moving it to make her cut the bread as he wanted. Renee couldn't avoid flinching absolutely repulsed and furious. She wanted to scream and curse, but her lips remained sealed. She pressed her teeth hard to avoid the explosion of fury she felt coming.

"It should be thick" Vladimir said, peeking Meier's reaction. He couldn't let pass the golden opportunity to mark his territory. Purposely looking directly at Jack, he added softly "Nice and thick… There we are."

All Jack could think about were those blissful mornings he had watched marveled at Renee making breakfast in his kitchenette, completely taken by her beauty. Now he had to helplessly watch that pig all over her. He felt the glass he was holding in his hand about to shatter. His male instincts were urging him to break every single one of Vladimir's bones. But he couldn't, not yet. He restrained himself and swallowed hard all his wrath and loathing.

Vladimir ate some bread as he said smugly "She's changed, you know? Six years ago, she thought she was too good for me. Now, she is much more friendly." Vladimir thought that made it clear to which man Renee belonged now. And he added "Maybe I should thank you, all that time you were together in Mexico City." But the German guy remained acting unaffected; however Vladimir wasn't fooled by the act. Lowering his voice, he said "Come on. I see how you look at her. Don't tell me you didn't…."

Before that bastard could say another word, Jack interrupted him dryly, talking with his teeth clenching "You want to keep talking, do it on the phone. Otherwise, the nuclear materials will be gone, and this deal will be dead."

Both men stared at each other angrily. Then Vladimir groaned "Fine, but I don't like you breathing down my neck." And then he ordered Lugo to get Meier out of the room and get him more vodka, since they were running out of it.

Renee watched worriedly how Jack left the office with Lugo, leaving her alone with Vladimir.

**10:22:13**** PM**

Vladimir called Sergei Bezhaev to make him the business proposition regarding nuclear rods newly on the market, knowing Bazhaev was truly the only person with an organization that could pull off such a deal. However, Bazhaev got furious and claimed nobody dealt in nuclear materials. Vladimir was now mortified and slightly freaked out. He had just pissed off the Captain of the Red Square, the most powerful Russian mobster in the three-estate area.

He tried to end the conversation politely but Sergei hung up on him madly. That couldn't be any good. Vladimir worriedly scratched his chin with his cell phone. This insanity of chasing after the nuclear rods had to end. He told Renee "He had no idea what I was talking about"

She was so frustrated, they were going nowhere. "All right, then we call the next person"

"You're not listening. He says nobody sells these things. Nobody." He was annoyed by her stubbornness.

"You're close to the biggest deal of your life, Vladimir. He's just jealous that he's not in on it." Renee stated trying to appeal to his ego. But Vladimir pulled her closer and kissed her neck, clearly seeking a second round of sex. So, despite her disgust she falsely promised "Later. Once you've made more calls."

**10:43:33**** PM**

Renee was getting increasingly anxious. Fortunately, Vladimir was keeping his dirty hands away from her. But the mission was still stuck. Every person he called denied any involvement with the nuclear rods. After yet another fruitless phone conversation, Vladimir simply decided to give up. "That's it. Last one. He also knows nothing about nuclear rods. He also said it's suicide to deal in them. Meier has wasted our time".

She frantically paced back and forth with her arms around her own body. Somebody had those rods in New York. She knew that as a fact. And she had to be the one finding them. But Vladimir claimed he had already called everyone there was to call. However, Renee knew one of his contacts must have lied to him. It was obvious that whoever had the rods wouldn't admit it over the phone just like that. She pleaded Vladimir desperately to call everyone back "Tell them that you have the buyer, tell them you have the money"

But Vladimir cut her off upset "Shut up! Just because I like your face doesn't mean I have to put up with your crap." And then he pointed out more calmly "We made $5 million. A good night's work."

"Why settle for five when we can have 50?" Renee argued. She hadn't had sex with that disgusting bastard just to let her mission fail now. No way.

Vladimir just laughed finding her lust over money appealing "When did you get so greedy? $5 million is plenty" he held her and kissed her neck, then he added with a smile "Plus we have each other, that's not too bad, is it?"

Since Vladimir was obviously still under the delusion that she wanted him, Renee had to use that as an advantage. "Oh, it's not bad." She lied, and next she quickly went to pick up his cell phone saying "But it could be better" she brought the phone to him and asked him firmly "Call them again. Do it for me" But Vladimir wasn't caving, so she insisted "Come on, Vladimir, push them harder. Somebody knows something."

Vladimir was now sure Renee had actually gone insane, obsessing over those nuclear rods nobody had. He took his cell phone back and yelled "What is your problem? Nobody knows. There's no one left to call. Now you go out there and you tell Meier to leave, okay."

"I'm not telling him anything!" Renee shouted infuriated, refusing to give up.

"What?" Vladimir asked genuinely stunned.

"Not until you try again."

Vladimir grabbed her by both arms and yelled furiously at her "Look, it's over! What is wrong with you?"

"I need this deal." She shouted back with real and deep desperation. This just couldn't be over.

Then Vladimir felt outraged. "That is why you're here? The deal?"

Renee couldn't believe he still hadn't figured that out. She had told him so like millionth times. Not even bothering hiding her disgust, she acidly pointed out "Why else? Do you think that I'm here for you?"

Immediately after that, Vladimir slapped her. Before she could do anything, he smacked her again even harder, making her fall down to the floor, along with the bread board and everything on top of it.

Renee's mind fell instantly into a dashed and blurred time warp. Nothing made sense. This had happened six years before. She knew that. And she knew how it had ended. She knew had what happened after that. But suddenly everything was happening again. It was all coming back to her at full speed and force. She couldn't understand why she was back, trapped in that hell. Then she noticed the one strange difference: there was a knife right by her side; it seemed it had magically appeared there. This was her chance. She had to stop him.

So, without a second of hesitation, she took the knife and nailed it in his eye. But that didn't seem to stop him. He just wouldn't stop. The pain wouldn't stop. He wouldn't stop hurting her.

She still saw his arrogant smirk. It had to stop.

She still felt his hand pressing her throat. It had to stop.

She still heard him saying 'come here'. It had to stop.

She still heard the glass shattering. It had to stop.

She still felt him kissing her neck. It had to stop.

She still felt him pressing his body against hers. It had to stop.

She still felt him touching every part of her. It had to stop.

She still felt the pain in her face from her broken cheekbone. It had to stop.

She still felt her head hitting the coffee table after he'd made her fall with one of his smacks. It had to stop.

She still felt him kicking her chest while she was on the floor. It had to stop.

She still felt her chest hurting. It had to stop.

She still felt like every breath she took aching like a sting in her lung. It had to stop.

She still felt blood coming from her womb. It had to stop.

She still felt the agonizing pain in her lower abdomen. It had to stop.

Out of the blue, Renee suddenly felt somebody from behind trying to stop her. But she couldn't let that happen. Vladimir had to disappear from her life for good. So instantly, she turned around and stuck her knife into the other person's belly in one quick motion.

Then Renee and Jack exchanged horrified looks. She recognized him and instantly felt overpowered by astonishment and dread as reality began to sink in. She couldn't understand, or even remember, how it had happened. Yet she could see what she had done. She watched helplessly Jack crumbling down to the floor with the knife still sticking out of him.

In the middle of the turmoil, she could see Lugo coming into the room and reaching for his gun. She gasped in a powerless horror. But Jack quickly sat up and launched the knife backhanded across the room sticking it in Lugo's throat. And after Lugo crashed to the ground, Jack shot at the other one of Vladimir's henchmen through the corrugated plastic partition of the room, taking the last Russian down before he was even in sight. Then Renee dropped to her knees too overwhelmed to stand any longer.

As soon as that the peril had passed, Jack went fast to hold her. He rocked her in his arms while she broke down in sobs. He was absolutely horrified by what had just happened. Renee hadn't meant to do any of what she had just done. But he found that extremely frightening because clearly she had completely lost her mind, even if only momentarily. One of his biggest fears had indeed materialized right before his eyes.

**10:****50 PM**

Renee was sitting on a chair looking down, feeling the weight of the word on her shoulders. Once the shock and confusion had passed, she felt only a profound desolation. She overheard Jack talking to the phone and lying about what had happened. He told Hastings she had defended herself. He meant well, but it was making her feel like a bigger piece of crap. Even after what she had done, he had lied for her trying to protect her. With her voice at the verge of breaking, she told him "You didn't have to do that"

"Do what?" He asked not sure of what she meant, while he was checking the laptop for some possible new lead.

"Cover for me with Hastings" She said with a barely audible tone, feeling so ashamed of herself.

Jack looked at her worriedly. He didn't want Renee to blame herself for anything. The way he saw it, Vladimir had drove her totally insane, which wasn't her fault. "All I did was tell him the truth"

"When they see Vladimir, they'll know what happened" Renee said. For the life of hers, she couldn't recall what had happened. Everything between Vladimir's second slap and the moment she recognized Jack was a blur. But she had seen the body and could tell that what she had done went way beyond defending herself.

Jack wondered what had actually gone through her head at the time. What was her version of the story? He went and sat on the couch's arm, right in front of her. "What do you think happened?"

She shook her head nervously a few times, not even daring to look at him. She had lost what was little left of her mind. That was what she knew had happened. She admitted "It's like you said. I couldn't handle it"

Now Jack looked down sadly. He had never wanted to be right about that. Surprisingly, he had spent the last three hours constantly wishing to be proven wrong. He had wished with all her heart for Renee to actually be better than it seemed. It broke his heart to confirm his worst suspicions about the frail state of her mind.

Jack had been right to try to keep her away from the mission. She was actually a danger to herself and others. She was so messed up that she had nearly killed by accident a man she indeed adored. Still unable to meet his gaze, she told him "God, I'm sorry"

His injure was too minor to even matter to Jack. So many people had hurt him a lot worse and on purpose. Actually, Renee had caused him much more pain by leaving him than she had sticking that knife in his abdomen. But that was something he couldn't say. The only thing he could tell her honestly was "It's all right"

"No, it's not. I could have killed you." She pointed out horrified as a tear rolled down her cheek. He had been so lucky, but things could have turned out differently. She couldn't stand to even think about it. Then she had to confess, full of self-loathe "I've made such a mess of everything. I just thought that if... if I did this, I could make it all right. I could have my life back"

Jack knew her too well by now to actually believe she was hopeless. He got closer to her and told her very seriously something he had always believed "hey, you can have your life back any time you want. You just need to want it"

Renee did not longer believe that. With Jack she had definitely felt alive and normal again. Then she had lost that child of theirs and she couldn't handle it. So she had bailed on him, winding up empty and alone once more. And she had nobody but herself to blame. Feeling frustrated, she admitted to Jack "How? I've messed everything up. I don't... I don't have anything, anyone."

"You've got me" Jack told her in a low whisper.

Renee thought that was such a beautiful fantasy. But sadly that ship had sailed. Every step she had taken ever since she had left his apartment had taken her farther away from him and in a permanent way.

_He deserves for once a woman who's hassle-free. True love means putting his best interest first. He deserves much better than me._ That was what she had told herself over and over again for the past six days. And the last four hours had only proven her right. Besides, she had to be completely delusional to believe Jack could ever want her again after everything she had done. Thinking how she had lost him forever and how she didn't deserve him made her crumble down abruptly in tears again. She covered her face with her hands truly ashamed.

"Hey, it's ok" Jack said, wanting more than anything for her to stop crying. He hated to see her cry.

Renee still couldn't look at him. She shook her head and said "I ruined what we had too, Jack… I'm sorry… I lost… I lost you" Then yet another tear rolled down her cheek.

Jack brushed the tear off her cheek with his finger, forcing her to finally look at his eyes. Then he caressed softly where she had a bruise in her beautiful face. And he noticed the red marks of finger prints on her neck too. How could that bastard do that to her? Jack hesitated for a moment. But eventually, he had to confess the truth "You never lost me… I am still…" Not daring to say the actual words, he settled for admitting a bit shyly "I'm where you left me" She looked down again, with a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment so he softly caressed her hair and asked whispering "Hey. Look at me" Once her gorgeous eyes met his, he said "I'm right here. Okay?"

She nodded "I'm glad. Jack, I truly didn't want to leave you…" She was about to spit everything out, to tell him the secret that had been eating her alive for six days. But Jack put a finger on her mouth preventing her from talking.

"We can talk about it later. Now let me take you home."

"What… what about the threat?" Renee babbled, wanting to go home with Jack more than anything, but worried about those nuclear rods still at large because of her failure.

"Look, we're a lot farther ahead than we were three hours ago. Every call Laitanan made is a solid lead that we can follow up, and that's because of you. You did your part. Now let CTU do their job" And then he insisted, caressing her cheek "Please? Let me take you home."

Home… Jack's apartment in Chelsea, where she had spent so many blissful mornings and nights. She missed it. Another tear rolled down her cheek, but she nodded and said "Okay."

"Okay." Jack said pleased with the idea of taking her home now that operation was over for them and there was only the debriefing left. Suddenly, they heard a noise by the door. It had to be Agent Ortiz with the rest of the team. "Damn it, they really must have been moving. CTU's here already." Jack complained wishing he had some time to coach Renee for her debriefing. Then he told her quickly "Listen to me. This is really important. Vladimir attacked you, and you defended yourself. That's what happened."

"I don't know." Renee tried to protest, shaking her head.

Jack cut her off firmly "I do, and if anybody else wants to ask you questions about that, I'll be right there with you to answer them."

"Okay." She agreed, still unsure. But she definitely liked the idea of Jack being with her. When he wasn't around her, nothing made sense, nothing worked. The truth was she needed Jack close by her side. He was the only one on this entire planet who could make her want her life back; he made her want it bad.

_You've got me_ _too, Jack. You had me from the day we met, and will have me till my final breath… whatever "you've got me" means. _

**TO BE CONTINUED….**

**(please, read and review!)**


	7. Mistakes were made part one

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Vladimir called his contacts and they all denied knowledge about the nuclear rods, he made Sergei Bezhaev (captain of The Red Square) angry. When he refused to continue cooperating, Renee got furious and admitted not being into him. He slapped her and then she lost her mind and killed him, stabbing him several times. Then she stabbed Jack once, not realizing it was him. But he recovered quickly and killed the remaining Russians. After her nervous breakdown, Renee admitted she wanted to succeed in the mission because it was all she had left. Jack told her she still had him and asked her to let her take her home. She agreed. He also told her to pledge self-defense when they ask her about Vladimir. Then they heard a CTU team arriving.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 7:**

**MISTAKES WERE MADE (part one)**

_"And certainly it was not wrong to try to secure freedom for our citizens held in barbaric captivity. But we did not achieve what we wished, and serious mistakes were made in trying to do so"_ US. President Ronald Reagan. January 27, 1987 (about contacts with Iran that ended in the arms-for-hostages scandal).

**May 20****th**** - YEAR 2018 **

**10:54:42**** PM** **– Vladimir's warehouse**

When Renee Abigail Walker was twelve years old her temper nearly got her in trouble. Pete Patman kept making fun of her, so she hit him and broke his nose. They were about to expel her from the school over that. But Captain Walker interfered for his daughter, who got away with it pretty easily.

At the age of thirty nine Renee was aware her screw ups as an adult were much bigger and had terrible consequences. Someone was dead and she deserved a severe punishment because of that. Jack had told her to pledge self-defense, but that wasn't right. It didn't feel right. She had done something horrible and wanted to take responsibility for her own actions, like an adult.

Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly Jack came back to the inner office. He hastily moved Lugo's body and shut the door as he explained, practically running out of breath, "They're Russian. Vladimir must have contacted whoever's got the rods. Just didn't want him to know".

Renee was perplexed. Of course Vladimir had contacted the person with the rods. She had realized as much and had fought him over that right before going insane. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have realized the people with the nukes would come after Vladimir. How could she be so stupid? She was still trying to overcome her astonishment, but Jack gave her his earpiece. It looked like he already had a plan in mind. But she had no idea what it could possibly be. "What are you doing?"

"I need to let them take me" he explained as he went to the bathroom and checked the windows.

'Plan' was clearly a very strong word for what Jack had in mind. Nearly panicking, she urged him "No. We have to get out of here."

Jack closed the bathroom door and then, as he looked at her in her scared eyes, he made his point whispering fast "You want everything you've done so far to matter? I need to do this. When CTU gets here, you tell them to start tracking me from the air. These people are gonna lead us to everything we're looking for."

"They will kill you" Renee argued trying to sound firm despite being terrified; she could hardly stand the mere idea. Naturally, she wanted what she had done to matter. But she cared about Jack way more.

"No. At worst, they're going to have to vet me, find out how much I know. It should buy us enough time." Jack alleged with a hell lot of confidence.

'Vet him'? That certainly didn't make her feel better. But she felt like a lost and scared six year old. She had no idea what to do or where to go. On the other hand, Jack was so sure of what he was doing. She had to do as he said. Whenever she didn't listen to him, everything turned into a huge disaster. So she let him lead. He practically pushed her inside a closet to hide her there. Then he gave her his gun saying "If this door opens again, you start shooting." Without another word, he closed the door and went to surrender himself to the Russians.

Renee could hardly breathe. Her entire body was trembling like jelly and she could barely remain standing. From inside the closet, she helplessly overheard Jack trying to convince the Russians he just wanted to do business. His idea worked as he had expected. They were taking him to talk to their boss. But one of them stayed behind to check the bathroom, and he nearly spots her. She held her breath and readied her gun. Then the guy was urged to go with the others. Soon, they were all gone.

She loathed herself for being so weak and useless. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She could hardly stand the idea of Jack being in such danger. She had already stabbed him by accident, and luckily he had recovered quickly from that. But it terrified that now he could get much more badly hurt because of her. At least he was alive and CTU would track him from the air. They would find him soon. They had to.

A few minutes later, she heard Cole Ortiz's voice. She slowly emerged from the bathroom with her hands up as she announced "I'm here… Here"

"It's Renee, sir. She's alive." Cole informed Hastings over his earpiece. Then he asked her "Renee, where's Jack?"

She instantly had a really bad feeling. Wasn't Cole monitoring Jack? Yet, he seemed to have no idea something was even happening. She explained anxiously "The Russians took him. The ones that have the nuclear materials"

"How? We've been monitoring the building. No vehicles left this area." Cole said maintaining a calm demeanor, but he was really confused and alarmed. How the hell had he missed that?

"I don't... I don't know. They just suddenly appeared, but..." She startled babbling totally puzzled. Suddenly, she realized nobody was indeed monitoring Jack. She claimed getting nervous "Wait. Jack let himself be taken. He said that you'd be monitoring him from the air."

But Agent Ortiz just shook his head a little and bit his lip. Renee demanded nearly freaking out "Where is he?" Nobody was telling her anything, so she insisted desperately "Where is he?"

Then Cole admitted genuinely embarrassed "We don't know."

Renee stared at Cole not wanting to believe him. It couldn't be true. They had to know where he was. She repeated with her voice almost breaking "He said that you'd be monitoring him from the air"

She had trusted CTU would find Jack soon. But they didn't even know where he was. Jack's words came back to her like a punch on her stomach _'they are going to have to vet me_'. What happened to him in China would happen to him all over again. But this time it was her fault. In a second, all air seemed to be sucked from her lungs and the ground under her feet began spinning fast.

Cole noticed all color had been drained from Renee's face and he rushed to hold her just as she fainted. "We need a medic here!" He shouted at his men. Then he gently placed her lying down in the couch as he tried to shake her to make her regain conscience "Agent Walker?"

Renee opened her eyes. She noticed she was in the red couch and felt horrified. It was the couch where Vladimir had taken her. Suddenly finding the strength she stood up but nearly loses her balance again.

"You need to lie down" Cole told her gently.

"I need to get out of here" she replied. The small office was suffocating her. He nodded and led her to the main garage, holding her in case she fell again. Her body was still shaking, but at least she could walk. She sat on a chair next to a table. Then she babbled to nobody in particular "everything I did… everything I did put Jack wherever he is now. I should have never let him go… why did I let him go?" What nobody there knew was that she was talking about so much more than just letting Jack be taken by the Russians.

The paramedic arrived, introduced himself and started examining Renee. Then another agent came and addressed Cole "sir, we found and underground exit"

"Damn it! That must be why we missed it" Cole concluded frustrated. Then he glanced at Renee feeling genuinely sorry for her. "Agent Walker, I have to check the evidence now"

"Please go…" Renee urged him with her hands still shaking. Cole nodded and then practically ran to check that underground exit with the other agents.

The paramedic then talked to her gently "well, it seems you fainted due stress. How are you feeling right now?"

Renee was not paying attention. All she had in her mind were horrible images of Jack being brutally beaten up and tortured. And once they were done 'vetting' him they would execute him. She didn't want to believe that was possible. That couldn't happen. They had to find him.

"Agent Walker, how are you feeling?" the paramedic insisted one more time.

Renee just stared at him, confused as if he were speaking Japanese. How was she feeling? That suddenly had become the toughest question in the entire word. Mostly, she felt full of regrets. If only she hadn't left Jack… If only she hadn't let him join her in this mission… If only she had his strength she would have handled things better. She needed Jack to wrap her in his arms. She simply replied whining like a little girl "I'm cold"

Somebody gave her a blue blanket. But she kept trembling and her left leg was uncontrollably kicking the floor as if it had a life of its own. All Renee could think was _'they have to find him'_ over and over again.

**11:10 PM**

Cole Ortiz was driving Renee back to CTU. She seemed slightly more composed. She was simply staring through the window into the lights of Manhattan. "So, are you feeling better?"

"Are you going to find Jack?" Renee questioned right back. Because whether she would ever feel better or not depended completely on Cole's answer to her question.

"We are using all we got to do just that" Cole assured her, trying to exude confidence.

"I have to fix this" She mumbled trying to think of something she could do. "I should have never let him get taken"

"You had to. You would have only made things worse if you had become also a hostage. Or they could have killed both of you right there. Besides, there was no way for you to know we wouldn't be able to track him" In the past two hours, Cole had seen Jack trying to protect Renee like a lion. So he knew Jack would want her to feel better. He added sincerely "Look, those calls are a very important lead you got. You did everything you could in an impossible situation. And, as I said, we are using everything at our disposal to find Jack."

Renee just looked through the window of the car again; she stared at the dark sky. She wished she could pray for Jack's safety. But she was such a monster, a murderer… dirty and poisoned. God wouldn't hear a word she said.

**11:19:27**** PM - CTU NYC headquarters**

Brian Hastings felt furious. He couldn't believe Walker had just butchered their only lead to find the nuclear rods. He could have never foreseen such an outcome. Even though he had noticed there was something odd about her and Jack Bauer had warned him several times regarding the state of her mind. But he had looked the other way. In the past seven hours he had made so many mistakes. One of them had been leaving a crucial mission on the hands of a woman who turned out to be a mental case. He was so angry at himself. He couldn't fail. As head of CTU, in such a critical day, the weight of the word was on his shoulders. Nobody had any idea of the kind of pressure he had on him. However, a man in his position always had to appear calm and in control. So struggling to maintain a cold and professional demeanor, he went to meet Ortiz and Walker as they arrived to the building.

As Renee walked down the hallway to the main room, she felt she had a huge scarlet letter on her forehead. They all knew she was the lunatic who had murdered Vladimir, after sleeping with him for the mission like a whore. It was so humiliating. She felt close to tears again. But she had to stay focused on Jack's situation. So, trying to look as normal as she could, she approached Hastings. Ortiz informed the director that some men were still investigating the scene and left to work out the aerial sweep protocols with Arlo. Then Hastings looked at her with an arrogant smirk. Trying to mask her desperation, she asked "What are you doing to find Jack?"

"Everything we can, Ms. Walker. Come with me." He said as he began walking upstairs, still smirking. Only the people who truly knew him were aware that his cocky smile was an unconscious way to hide he felt nervous.

As she followed him, she asked too anxiously "Have you checked all the... the traffic cams, subway routes? You have all this technology working for you… comm surveillance, satellite tracking."

"We're using everything at our disposal." He cut her off, now frowning annoyed by her.

Renee was too worried about Jack to notice Hasting was actually pissed at her. So she protested "Then how come you haven't found him yet? Why don't you have any leads?"

Hastings turned around, struggling not to lose his temper, and snapped "The best lead we had is dead." Renee looked at him as if she had been slapped. Then he added more calmly "I know about your suicide attempt. You should have been honest with me. O'Brian will take your statement. I want to know every detail about every event leading up to the death of Vladimir Laitanan."

Renee felt like a six year old girl who had been yelled at loudly for accidentally breaking mommy's favorite crystal vase. She left quickly to the meeting room, where she had to give her briefing feeling dazed. She had realized already that everything was her fault. But Hastings's words were like a bucket of cold water snapping her back to the harsh reality of her extremely damaged self.

"When she's done, take her to medical. I've ordered a full psych evaluation." Hasting ordered Chloe.

"Yes, sir" Chloe muttered unhappily. She had been shooting darts at him with a disproving stare all along. As a woman, she sympathized with Renee's situation. It was low from Hastings to scold the poor woman like that right after everything that happened. Plus, there was enough blame to go around. Hasting had been the one who trusted Renee with the mission even though Jack had repeatedly told him not to.

She entered the meeting room and saw Renee looking haunted by her own thoughts. For the data analyst, it was truly awkward having to debrief her best friend's ex girlfriend who had been raped and then gone crazy in a murdering rage. No protocol manual explained how to properly handle such a situation. And dealing with people had never been truly her thing, even under the most mundane circumstances. She left an electronic pad and stylus over the table as she gently explained "Uh, you can write your statement her".

Then Renee slowly took a seat feeling like she was drowning. Barely managing to keep her voice from breaking, she stated "Hastings blames me for what happened to Jack. And he's right."

"No, he's not. He shouldn't have said that." Chloe told her firmly. As the person who had originally begged Jack to stay in New York when all he wanted was to move to California and be happy, she felt she had a share of guilt as well. Too many things had gone wrong during the last few hours, putting Jack in the horrible situation he was at the moment. So it wasn't fair to blame everything solely on Renee.

"The only reason that Jack was even part of this operation was because of me." Renee sadly reminded the other woman. The list of things she should have done differently was long enough to fill an entire encyclopedia. Then she added horrified "So whatever they're doing to him right now, it's because of me". But she couldn't fall apart. She had to be tough and fix her own mess. She had gotten Jack in trouble, so now she had to save him. She looked at the data analyst and announced "I have to find him, Chloe".

Except Chloe knew there was no way Renee would be able to do that. They already had the entire CTU working on finding Jack. And Renee in her current state of mind wouldn't be able, or allowed, to even try helping. The former FBI agent had her hands tied. And Chloe herself was feeling helpless and terrified over not being able to find Jack either. But trying to stay strong, she reasoned "Renee, I know how you must feel. Just... just take one thing at a time. We have to deal with what you did. So write your statement. I'll check back with you."

Then Chloe left quickly, feeling suddenly troubled. She wanted desperately to find Jack too but it seemed so impossible. They were trying hard with everything they had and he remained missing. All she could do for her best friend was do her job in the best possible way.

Renee stared at the electronic pad feeling so pathetic. Yet another tear rolled down her cheek. How would writing the statement help Jack at all? But it was the only thing she could do. She was obligated to outline in writing the road that had led them to where they were now.

"_On May 20__th__ around 7.30 PM I was contacted by Dana Walsh…."_ She summarized briefly but truthfully how and why she had winded up going undercover again. She omitted only the part where she had been about to leave the country just before that. That would make it seem as if she were blaming others for dragging her to a mission against her will, when actually she had chosen to be a part of it. Then she described the basics of how she had gotten to Vladimir. Then she explained about the failed phone calls and how he stopped cooperating. She ultimately admitted "_Laitanan decided not to seek the rods anymore. But he believed Renee Zadan had a romantic interest in him and turned violent against her after realizing he was mistaken._"

At that point she got stuck. Her hands were shaking as she stared the electronic path. She had no clear recollections of what had actually happened. She remembered Vladimir smacking her, making her fall. But her next memory was Jack right in front of her with his abdomen wounded by her knife, while Vladimir lied dead with his right eye butchered and several stab wounds on his torso. None of that made sense to Renee. How could she have done such a thing? She covered her face with both hands as she sobbed bitterly.

**11:****25 PM**

Chloe went back to the meeting room and saw Renee crying. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she mumbled "um, sorry… I need to go over your statement with you"

Renee startled for a moment after realizing she was not alone. Embarrassed, she brushed off her tears, and asked anxiously "did you find Jack?" Chloe shook her head sadly. Swallowing hard to prevent more crying, Renee simply handed the notepad back to Chloe explaining "I couldn't finish it yet".

Chloe took a seat and read what Renee had written so far, and then commented "So, when you say Vladimir turned violent… you mean he hit you"

"Yeah…" Renee replied instinctively touching her bruised cheek.

"So, he attacked you first, he hit you… and tried to strangle you" Chloe stated noticing the marks on Renee's neck. She knew pledging self-defense was Renee's only way out. The former FBI agent didn't deserve to go to prison over killing a monster like Vladimir. Besides, Renee was somebody Jack still cared about deeply. That was reason enough for Chloe to guide the other woman a little bit to say what was more convenient. "You had no other choice but to defend yourself… is that what you are saying happened?"

Renee could see what Chloe was trying to do. But it didn't feel right. She admitted softly and lowering her head "I don't… I don't actually remember what happened, not really…. Chloe, I can't do this…"

"You have to" Chloe interrupted a bit brusquely. Then, making sure nobody else was listening, she told her "I know you are upset. But right now Jack needs you to think straight and do this right" What Jack didn't need was his girlfriend, especial friend, or whatever Renee was, to go to prison. Chloe knew as much. "Look, we'll find Jack. And if he hears you are still in trouble, he is gonna be pretty damn pissed".

Renee nodded and sighed. Jack had told her to pledge self-defense. It was what he wanted. And she had told him she would do it. Then she looked at Jack's most loyal ally and told her honestly "I swear I never ever wanted to hurt, Jack. I never wanted him to get dragged into any of this"

"Nobody could ever 'drag' Jack into anything." Chloe corrected Renee quickly and then added, "Yes, he became part of this operation to protect you. But that wasn't your fault. Okay? It was his choice. He needed to do that".

Renee shook her head feeling that sadly, she didn't deserve Jack's protection. She sighed "He's been trying to protect me since he saw me again two months ago… I don't understand why"

The data analyst wrinkled her nose uncomfortably and then explained "You know? His wife was murdered by a woman he trusted blindly. His closest friends died for knowing he was alive. His daughter almost died several times. Not to mention Audrey Raines. The thing is, Jack spends every day dreading that once again something horrible will happen to someone he cares about because of him. So when he saw you were in danger… he just had to make sure you'd be fine, that it wouldn't happen again"

As she listened to Chloe, a tear rolled from Renee's eye down her cheek. Then she instinctively looked at the scars on her wrists, realizing Jack had blamed himself for how damaged she was since the very beginning of her downfall. Then she stared at Chloe in the eyes feeling helpless "I don't know what I can do for him"

Chloe noticed those scars on the wrists, but she had heard about that already. Definitely giving advice wasn't her thing. She bit her lip, and then said "well, Jack thinks he's cursed. If I were you, I'd do my best to prove him wrong. Pull yourself together. Find a way to forgive yourself and get past this…" She said handing the notepad back to Renee. And then she added "I'm sorry. I should get back to work now".

Renee nodded as she watched Chloe leave quickly and uncomfortably. Then she went back to her statement. But now her mind was somewhat made up. She would do what Jack wanted her to do.

"_He believed Renee Zadan had a romantic interest in him and turned violent against her after realizing he was mistaken._" To that she added _"She hit me twice on my face, making me fall down"_ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and thought about Jack and how nice he had been to her in her darkest moment. Then she wrote _"and he tried to strangle me. But I picked a knife from the floor and stabbed him"_.

Then she kept writing about Jack having to kill Lugo and the other henchman in self defense, and how a few minutes later the Russians who truly had the rods arrived and Jack hid her in the closet and let himself be taken maintaining his cover as a German arm dealer. _'They are going to have to vet me_'. Those words haunted her again and the most terrifying images kept popping to her head sending chills through her spine. She pictured Jack tied up to a chair, getting beaten up, receiving electric shocks. And then she thought of that fresh stab wound he had on this abdomen because of her. The Russians could use it to easily inflict him pain.

Renee felt a sudden wave of nausea and rushed to the nearest bathroom. She kneeled in front of the toilet. But her last meal had been a cheese burger she had at the airport around five hours before. She coughed a few times, but there was nothing for her to vomit. So she just sat folded on the bathroom floor resting her head on her knees. She tried to calm herself. She had read Jack's file. He had survived the impossible. He could do it again.

Then, for some strange reason, it came to her head the image of Captain John Walker wearing his impeccable uniform, right before leaving to the Persian Gulf and reminding her that '_a Captain's daughter never cries_'. She closed her eyes trying not to cry. _'Oh, daddy… I have really messed up. I'm so sorry._ _I'm sorry I'm nothing like you wanted me to be. But I need your help now. Daddy, please… ask God to save Jack.'_

**11****:39 PM**

She was, again, sitting uselessly in the meeting room. Somebody had offered her something to eat and she had declined. She wasn't hungry. She felt too sick to eat anything. Yet, she accepted some coffee. As if she weren't such a nervous wreck already. But she needed something pleasantly familiar to hold on to. Suddenly, she heard a bit of a commotion outside. A bunch of field agents were rushing to a different room. She followed them, as a security guard followed her. She saw the agents charging their weapons and getting they bullet proof vest ready. It was obvious it was a tactical team getting prepared. She could overhear them talking.

"And Bauer said how many hostiles are in site?"

"No, I was just told we'll need to bring one he has in custody"

Her heart skipped a bit. Had they really found Jack? And he had somebody in custody? She tried to remain cautiously optimist as she practically run all the way downstairs to find her only reliable source of information inside CTU. Once downstairs, trying to be hopeful without tempting fate by celebrating before knowing the facts for sure, she asked Chloe "Is it true? You found Jack?"

"Yeah. He's okay." Chloe replied a bit anxiously.

Renee sighed in massive relief. That was all she needed to hear.

"If you're finished with your statement, I need to take you to medical." Chloe added.

"No. No. I want to be here when Jack gets back." Renee couldn't wait to see him, and she was even more anxious to hear the sound of his voice.

"I'll let him know where to find you. Come on." Chloe said gently.

Renee followed her frustrated. She knew she should better behave. And if she had to wait to see Jack, she could very well wait in medical.

**1****1:57 PM**

The shrink had tried to get as much information she could from her. But Renee had acted as she always did in such situations. She had gotten defensive and avoided giving to much information. So the doctor couldn't get much of her. However, the doctor managed to make a tentative diagnosis using those four letters Renee despised: PTSD.

Then Renee was finally allowed to change clothes and clean up. Her backpack was returned to her. She didn't have much in there, but fortunately she had packed a t-shirt and some dark blue jeans. The t-shirt was simple, boat-next cut, ¾ long sleeves and a nice shade of pink. Then she combed her hair up in a simple but neat pony tail. After that, she washed her face and decided to leave it without make up. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was starting to look more like Renee Abigail Walker. She still had that red bruise on her left cheek though. And when she looked closely to the upper part of her neck, close to her left ear she could see them: small teeth marks. A reminder of something Vladimir liked to do during sex. But they would fade.

When you are bitten by a snake you don't remain poisoned forever. You either die or get cured. But for the moment she couldn't tell whether what happened during her moment of insanity had killed her soul or gotten rid of the poison she'd carried inside it for far too long.

After washing her face once again she watched carefully at the clock in the wall. And the last seconds of the day ticked away… 11:59:50… 11:59:51 …11:59:52 … 11:59:53 … 11:59:54… 11:59:55… 11:59:56… 11:59:57… 11:59:58… 11:59:59… 00:00:00 AM

There it was. The official end of what will forever be known as the day she murdered Vladimir Laitanan. Thankfully, a new day had just started.

**May 21****st**** - 12:06:02 AM**

Finally, mercifully, she got a call from Jack. She could hardly believe it. She was so eager to hear his voice. She wanted to know he was truly ok.

"How are you?" He asked concerned. As much as the last hour had truly sucked for him, he hated so much knowing Renee had been forced to deal with the aftermath of her own Russian ordeal without him.

Renee was pleased to hear that soft and velvety voice she adored. But it made her slightly upset that he was worried about her. He was the one who had been stabbed, then 'vetted' and nearly killed. Why the hell mattered how she was? She responded "Uh, fine, I'm fine. What about you?"

Jack knew what she actually wanted to know. However, to be honest he would have to admit he had been through moments of agonizing physical pain even though he was fine now. He had recovered quite quickly. After twenty months under Chinese custody, he could handle being hurt physically. But he couldn't stand the pain of someone he loved. He thought it would be much better for Renee if she remained in the dark about what had happened to him. Therefore, he gave her a non-answer "We had a line on the fuel rods. We lost it."

'_Damn it!'_ Renee thought to herself and bit her lip. She then asked resigned "So what's the plan now?"

"It's Hastings' call. I'm bringing the prisoner back to CTU, then I'm out" Jack replied. His job was truly done now. He had even arrested the captain of the Red Square. That was plenty. He'd let the actual CTU agents find those rods now. But he couldn't truly relax and celebrate being done with CTU unless Renee was done as well. He asked "They ask you about what happened, about Vladimir?"

"Uh, yes, Chloe did." She answered sounding way more nervous than she had intended.

"Chloe did the debrief?" Jack asked in disbelief. That sounded far too good to be true.

"Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't... I wouldn't really call it a debrief. We talked, uh, mostly, and, uh, then I wrote a statement." She explained feeling extremely awkward about the fact that she and Chloe had actually talked about him. That hardly qualified as a real debrief.

"And you explained how you acted in self-defense?" Jack asked, completely missing her tone and focused only in what he truly cared about: knowing whether she was off the hook or not.

"Yes, like we agreed." She replied quickly.

Her tone clearly indicated she had done it for him and Jack could sense that. So he quickly corrected her "That's how it happened. Renee, you've got to stick with that."

"Yeah, yes, I'm gonna try." She told him honestly. She would do whatever he asked her to.

But he wanted her to feel truly free of guilt. She shouldn't spend another second in distress over that Russian monster that had broken her to the point of driving her insane for a moment. Seeing Renee losing her mind had truly scared him but he was greatly relieved it had lasted only a moment. Jack believed Vladimir had tortured Renee in a certain way and she had defended herself from ending up just like Audrey. So he honestly told her what he thought "I know this is hard for you, but you did nothing wrong, and you need to start believing that. Okay?"

She could tell how important this was for him. So she exhaled, whispering what he wanted to hear… "Okay"

Then she wondered what she meant to him now. He had said she had him, and that he was where she had left him. But that could mean a lot of things. Maybe it meant he would always be there for her because he cared about her like a loyal friend. It could also mean that he still felt about her like he used to feel. But that was wishful and crazy thinking from her part. How could Jack possibly still want her in _that_ way? She had to set things straight with him and go back to reality for good. "Jack, I don't... I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it, 'cause I need to make sure that I'm not misunderstanding, but… when you say that I 'have you'..."

Jack saw that dreadful question coming…_'What did it mean?'_ He wasn't ready to explain his feelings clearly out loud. Admitting how much he cared about her was still extremely tough and scary for him even if he did so vaguely or in non verbal ways. Before she could even ask, he rushed to non-answer saying "I meant it like it sounded."

A tiny hint of a smile barely curbed her lips and she looked down. It was really like Jack to be so non-specific like that. But his actions and the way he still cared about her gave her the real answer. Sadly, things weren't as simple as that. She asked "So now what do we do?"

"We'll figure it out… we both jumped from the same boat, remember?" Jack repeated what he had told her that day they both admitted being unsure about the future.

Renee remembered, that day she had basically agreed to swim to the shore with him. But things seemed so different now. She sighed. "Except this time I jumped from a cliff and I pushed you"

"Then let's hold hands on our way down" Those words came out from his mouth from his heart naturally in a soft whisper. He was trying not to get too carried away by his feelings, but he just couldn't control himself.

"Okay." She replied with that tiny smile about to curb her lips again. But then she added somberly "I have something important to tell you Jack, but I can't over the phone"

"That's okay. We can talk about it when I get there, in about 15 minutes. Bye".

After they hung up, with the smallest hint of a smile, Renee took her cell phone and put it over her chest as if that could bring Jack closer to her. There were some mistakes she had made and could never correct. But one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made was running away from Jack. If he was willing to give her a second chance, she wouldn't mess it up again. She had decided to tell him the whole truth about why she had left and admit that lying to him had been a huge mistake. She could only hope with all her heart that he would forgive her.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please, tell me what you think) **

Next: Is still all about mistakes. The mole at the CTU has made several, we learn who is she working for and why. A double agent with a secret agenda realizes he has screwed up as well. The White House Chief of Staff wants Renee Walker to take the fall for the mistakes made while handling the crisis in the past few hours. A female shark from the justice department is sent to hunt Renee.


	8. Mistakes were made part two

_Author's note: __I can't begin to express my appreciation for the support this story is getting. It makes me so happy to know people are enjoying it. Keep up with those reviews! I find then inspiring!_

_By the way, I'm not a lawyer. So I might have made a mistake in the part with a legal issue. Anybody who knows what would happen in real life is welcome to correct me._

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Renee killed Vladimir. The Russians who actually had the nuclear rods showed up to kill Vladimir. But Jack let himself be taken them to find the nuclear rods. He takes down everyone but Sergei Bezhaev (captain of The Red Square). However, the nuclear rods are still missing. Chloe explains Renee how Jack believes he's cursed; therefore he needs to rescue the woman he cares about.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 8:**

**MISTAKES WERE MADE**** (part two)**

_"__In the night, in the fog of war, mistakes were made." Gen. David Richards, 2006_

**May 21rt - ****YEAR 2018 **

**12:00 AM**** - Kristen Smith's apartment**** - NYC**

As an Attorney from the Department of Justice, Kristen Smith never expected to get a call in the middle of the night during a national crisis. Her part in such situations usually came later, when under the bright morning light she had to prosecute the people who had been guilty of a federal crime. So when she got a call from Rob Weiss, White House Chief of staff, by midnight she could tell he was in trouble.

"Mistakes were made during a CTU operation, Kristen. And now there are nuclear rods in the wrong hands" Weiss explained to the woman who used to be his colleague and close friend.

'_Mistakes were made__'_ such a classic Washington linguistic construct. An expression to acknowledge a situation had been handled poorly or inappropriately while avoiding any direct admission or accusation of responsibility by using the passive voice. She asked rhetorically "did you screw up, Rob?" Then she sighed "tell me what happened"

"CTU NY director Brian Hastings sent a woman on an undercover mission, Renee Walker, who killed a man, ruining the operation. But Brian never should have sent her in the first place. He wouldn't have if he had bothered to properly check her background or her mental state. Anyway, the thing is, I need to make sure Hastings won't get blamed for the colossal failure of this operation" Weiss said putting special emphasis on the last part.

"Let me guess, if Hastings goes down, you go down with him" Kristen said deducing what the problem was. Even in the heat of a national crisis there was always somebody thinking about the cold reality of politics.

"I put him in charge of CTU" Rob explained providing the answer. And then he added "I need all the blame to fall over Walker alone. Can you go to CTU and make sure of that?"

"I need more information about what happened, Rob." She stated firmly. But she was already out of her bed and preparing her business suit. Rob sent her by email all the information he had about Vladimir's death. After looking at it, Kristen concluded honestly "Oh, I can make Walker take the blow. The question is: why would I?"

Rob Weiss knew Kristen was a very smart woman with political ambitions. She knew how the game was to be played. So he said the words which he knew would work like magic "because I would owe you a favor"

**12:27:02 AM**** - ****CTU headquarters **

Renee was sitting down in medical waiting anxiously for Jack. Then Chloe came in and putting a folder on the table explained "This is a transcript of your statement. You should review it before you sign it."

"Okay" Renee agreed, still feeling torn. It felt so wrong getting away with murdering Vladimir. On the other hand, it didn't seem right to throw away her entire future over somebody like him. '_That's what I should have thought before killing him, but obviously I wasn't thinking at all'_ She thought to herself. Now that her sanity was back she realized had two choices: she could admit what she had done and go to jail… or she could choose to get away from her legal mess, go home with Jack and figure out a way to forgive herself for her actions.

"How far out did Jack say he was?" Chloe asked.

"15 minutes." Renee replied with relief. She was so incredibly lost without Jack.

But immediately Hastings entered the room with a young black woman saying "This is Kristen Smith from Justice. She needs to talk to Renee, so if you'll excuse us, Chloe."

Chloe tried to protest, but Hastings made her leave the room. Renee stared at the attorney, feeling unsettled and increasingly anxious. Kristen had impeccable hair and was wearing a business suit. '_A power-suit'_ Renee thought recalling what she herself used to wear to look important and intimidating at work. Once they were left alone, the attorney half-smiled and got settled in a chair, looking determined and ambitious. All those were good qualities on their own. But under the current circumstances, it gave Renee a very bad feeling. Kristen took two folders out of her briefcase and placed them on the table asking a bit patronizingly "Ms. Walker, do you know why I'm here?"

"I can guess" Renee replied dryly.

"I'm trying to understand what happened during the operation. Fill in some details", Kristin said with a fake smile.

"But I already gave all the details" Renee tried to object weakly.

"I'm just trying to clarify some information. Does that present a problem for you?"

Renee tried her best to look unfazed as she replied "Not at all"

"So you said in your statement that you killed Vladimir Laitanan in self-defense. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's why it's in my statement." Renee assured nodding, so far managing to lie pretty damn well.

Kristin smiled not missing the trick. "What I didn't see in the statement was any mention of your history with Laitanan." Then she added gesturing at a thick folder on the table "You did have a history with him."

And Renee didn't want that history to end with her going to prison. So she stated casually, "I worked an undercover operation with the FBI six years ago. Vladimir Laitanan was the target."

Then the attorney decided to press her suspect getting into the sensitive issues, "And during the course of that operation, you had to get close to him. He became obsessed with you. He tried to rape you."

Renee swallowed hard. How she hated that "r" word. She rushed to said "Yes", trying to seem composed and hiding the fact that not only had Vladimir tried to rape her, but he had been successful.

"But you were able to stop him."

"I fought him. Put me in the hospital with two broken ribs. I'm sure that's in there, too." Renee said sounding more anxiously than she had intended. She could already feel her heart pounding faster and her muscles tensing.

"You were able to fight off a stronger, violent man. It's impressive." Kristen commented trying to sound sincere.

Renee could have sworn she saw a smirk in the attorney's face, like mocking her. But she struggled to remain unfazed. Then the attorney added "But this time when he attacked you, you didn't fight him off."

Then Renee felt her entire body trembling. She had never been able to successfully fight Vladimir off. Now her past secrets and lies were coming back to bite her in the ass. She had to forget about the power Vladimir had over her when he was alive. She had to focus in not letting him win now that he was dead. She had to be strong enough to stick to her version of the story. "I couldn't. He had his hands around my neck trying to strangle me."

"I understand. You thought he was going to kill you. You were in fear for your life." Kristen said being falsely kind. And then, opening the folder containing the best tools at her disposal, she asked "So what happened next?"

Renee got a glimpse at the pictures of Vladimir's body. She looked down and with her teeth clenching she mumbled, "He was choking me. I grabbed the knife and I stabbed him."

"In self-defense?" Kristen asked with a hint of sarcasm, believing the other woman was taking her for an idiot.

"Yes." Renee replied.

"You stabbed him in self-defense... 15 times… 15 times." Kristen emphasized pressing ever harder by displaying a picture of Vladimir's bloody face. "The first blow alone could have stopped him, but you didn't stop."

_15 times?_ Renee thought horrified, unaware of that exact number until that very moment. Now she couldn't stop looking at that picture of Vladimir. How could she do such a horrible thing? What kind of monster she was? 

"Look at me, Renee." The attorney insisted. Realizing it would be hard to make slip somebody who was surely very familiar with the interrogation strategies. So Kristen decided to appeal to Walker's logic. "You were an investigator for the FBI. By all accounts, one of the best they had. Put yourself on my side of the table. Look at what I'm looking at. There's a dead body. On the one hand, I have your statement saying you acted in self-defense. On the other, I have these." She said gesturing at the pictures, "Evidence of a sustained and furious assault with clear intent to kill. Now as an investigator, you know which version is true, don't you?"

Of course she did. She still didn't recall giving fifteen stabs. But those pictures were too clear. With the cold look of an investigator, Renee could see that the man in that picture had been butchered by some beast who certainly wanted him dead. But with the even colder look of a woman who had been Vladimir's victim, she saw a man who had ruined her life while he was alive, and now would continue ruining it forever, even dead. She didn't want to go to jail because of that bastard. She barely managed to whisper "I acted in self-defense."

Kristen was getting fed up. The self-defense thing was a huge and shameless lie. The evidence was too clear. She gave Renee a cold stare and stated full of conviction, "Let me tell you what I think happened. You used an operation of unparalleled importance to seek revenge against a target without any regard for the final outcome."

_How can she say I did not care about the final outcome? I was desperate for this operation to end well. I never meant to mess everything up… The mission was all I cared about. He wouldn't help anymore, and he hit me…_Felling suddenly outraged, she insisted firmly, "I'm telling you, he attacked me first."

"Ms. Walker, I'm well aware of your sacrifice in service to this country, but I do not think that it is fair or right that CTU should be taken down because you used this operation to seek out your own personal vendetta against Vladimir Laitanan." Kristen said using that old interrogation tactic which consisted in accusing a suspect of something really atrocious to get a confession of something more understandable but still really illegal.

Renee was suddenly puzzled for a moment. That wasn't how it happened. She hadn't gotten into the mission with the purpose of killing Vladimir. But it didn't matter what she knew in her mind, her heart was aching with regret and her eyes were starting to cloud with tears.

Kristen noticed Renee was closer to crumb down. So she pressed even further "I looked at your file. This isn't the first time you lost control. You almost killed Alan Wilson. That's why you got fired by the FBI, isn't it?"

"Yes." She spitted knowing the other woman was just reminding her of that incident to upset her.

"I can see what this is doing to you, Renee. It is tearing you up inside. Let it out. Tell me the truth. You killed Vladimir Laitanan because the thought of him touching you again was intolerable. Do the right thing here. That's what happened, isn't it, Renee?"

A tear rolled down Renee's cheek. That was true; the thought of Vladimir touching made her sick. And she had exploded in a murderous fury. It was true.

Brian Hastings was upset watching the interrogation over a TV monitor. Although just an hour before he had wanted Walker's head on a plate himself, he was now finding what they were doing to that poor woman absolutely disgusting. But he had orders from Rob Weiss to let it happen.

Kristen kept pushing "Is that right, Renee?"

Then she couldn't take it anymore, she spitted, "he ruined my life… I hated him… he was all over me and I couldn't take it anymore… I hated him… he made me sick…"

"Is that why you killed him?" Kristen asked satisfied.

"I don't know" Renee admitted in a daze. "I didn't want to kill him… not like you said… I just… I don't know… I thought I could handle it… but suddenly I lost it… I totally lost it… I swear didn't meant to" She confessed whining like a child and then she held her head with one hand. It was all over.

Completely out of the blue, Jack charged into the room saying "They're setting you up. Don't say another word."

Renee looked at Jack, and with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment she admitted, "It's too late."

Jack's heart sunk when he heard that. What did Renee mean? What had she said?

Kristen leaped from her chair and, outraged, she protested, "What do you think you're doing? Get out of here now."

People said the most dangerous creature on earth was a mother protecting her child. If that was true, then the second most dangerous had to be Jack Bauer protecting a woman he cared about. He looked at Kristen full of fury and disgust. That woman was only causing Renee more pain. Instantly, he launched against the attorney pushing her against a wall and clamping a hand around her throat. He hissed outraged "How dare you? After everything she sacrificed. After everything she's lost. Have you no decency?"

Renee stood up horrified and desperately called his name hoping that would bring his senses back, "Jack!"

Kristen was too terrified to even move. But she wasn't about to debate decency with the man chocking a woman.

Jack simply gave the attorney another outraged look, and then he let her go groaning "This is over". Immediately, he took Renee's hand in an unconscious possessive gesture. As if indicating clearly, _'She is my girl'_.

Renee was too stunned to do anything but let him lead her to the door. On one hand, the way Jack had acted then wasn't right. And it was by no means the best strategy to get her out her legal mess. But on the other hand... it had been so damn amazing. Watching Jack defend her like that had been absolutely amazing.

When Jack opened the door a young guard was pointing at him with a gun yelling, "Hands in the air. Do it now!"

Jack felt sorry for that poor guy. Clearly, that guard had no idea who he was messing with. But he didn't want to harm the guy. He just wanted to leave with Renee. At worst he would have to disarm him and knock him down. So he told him a bit patronizingly, "Son, you better put that down or you're going to get hurt." The guard stepped back a little, looking truly terrified. But Jack would never hurt him _that _badly. He assured him, "It's all right". And then he ordered Renee to go ahead of him so he could watch her back. Unfortunately, he completely forgot about his own back. Suddenly, he felt a strong shock of electricity that made him scream in pain and fall to the ground.

Renee felt like a complete moron as a guard secured her at gunpoint and all she could do was raise his hands in surrender. She watched in helpless desperation how Jack groaned in pain and got handcuffed. Once Jack recovered from the electric shock they made him stood up. Renee couldn't even speak; she felt a big lump on her throat. When her damped eyes met his she mouthed, "I'm so sorry".

Jack got it. And right before he was taken away, he whispered to her, "It's okay… everything will be all right"

Then Renee was taken back to the medical room, where Kristen was now sitting down, trying to overcome her horror and astonishment. Then the attorney gave Renee a look full of hate, "Who the hell was that guy?" Then she remembered something from the file, "Is that Bauer, your partner in the mission? Or maybe he's you accomplice?"

Horrified, Renee told her as firmly as she could, "No! Leave him out of this, Ms. Smith"

"Why?" Kristen barked still furious.

Having that woman all figured out already, Renee knew what to say to get Jack off the hook. "Because you have what you wanted. I confessed voluntary manslaughter" She said resignedly recalling what she had said right before Jack tried to stop her. Then, mimicking Kristen's tone Renee added, "isn't that right?"

"Yes, it is" Kristen said with satisfaction. Not caring about the incident with that angry man anymore. Her job was done. Now Rob Weiss owed her big time. Then she added, "you might want to consult your lawyer"

As the attorney left to get the proper paper-work done, Renee sat down unsure of how she was feeling. The truth was that during one moment of insanity she had brutally murdered Vladimir. She had not wanted that outcome in a conscious way. It was something that had happened because she had lost her mind. Because she had made the terrible mistake of believing she could handle Vladimir properly. It seemed only right to pay for her mistakes.

**01:00:00 AM**

Renee did not have a lawyer to consult and she didn't even have someone available to even ask what happened to Jack. So she had to handle things on her own. She read the papers with her confession, a full and detailed description of what had happened. She looked at Kristen and asked, "So, what happens after I sign this?"

"You'll have to stay under CTU's custody until they can handle the jurisdiction issues and transfer you. Right now they are understandable busy" The attorney explained in a condescending manner.

Suddenly, Chloe got into the room and told Kristen, "Ms. Smith, the criminal investigation against Renee Walker is being dropped. She'll leave free of charges".

"What? That's not possible" The attorney exclaimed confused.

"Uh, well, it happened… Mr. Hastings's orders, so…" Chloe said wrinkling her nose awkwardly.

"I need to speak with Mr. Hastings" Kristen demanded folding her arms in front her chest.

"He's dealing with a situation right now. But he told me that if you need an explanation, you can call Mr. Weiss" Chloe stated. Then she addressed a guard by the door, "Please, make sure Ms. Smith can find door"

Kristen was absolutely stunned and outraged, "I believe I can find it on my own, thank you". She left, but determined to call Rob Weiss and find out why the hell happened.

After she was gone, Renee was still astonished "but… what..? What happened…?"

Chloe explained "well, the situation's just escalated. Farhad Hassan called claiming he was being chased by the people with the rods…. And…"

Renee shook her head in confusion. "Wait… didn't he have the rods?"

"Apparently his own people turned against him and they are planning an attack on New York."

"What?... When?" Renee asked in profound shock and disbelief.

"Soon" Chloe admitted nervously.

"Oh my God" Renee covered her mouth with her hand in horror. New York would be attacked again and it was all going to be because of her. But suddenly she realized that it made no sense that they released her after that. "Hold on… how come that makes me able to just walk out free of charges?"

Knowing Renee was not prone to react pretty well, Chloe explained awkwardly, "Jack made a deal with Hastings. He will stay working for CTU, as head of field operations until this whole situation gets resolved. In return, you are now free to go."

Renee stood up abruptly. "What? Chloe, no! Is he crazy?"

"He's crazy about you" Chloe just burped out without thinking first what she honestly believed, considering everything Jack had done in the past few hours.

Renee just dismissed that. She was too desperate "I can't let him do that. I can't let him be in danger because of me… again… I'd rather go to jail. I deserve it"

"No, you really don't" Chloe assured her. And then explained "And Hastings never wanted you to face criminal charges. But he was being pressured by the White House Chief of Staff."

"I don't give a damn!" Renee shouted desperately, startling Chloe. Then she calmed down, took deep breaths and said, "I can't let Jack do that for me. If something happens to him… This whole thing is crazy, you know? He doesn't need to save me to prove he's not cursed. That's nonsense"

"I know. But his mind is made up. You know there is no way to change it. He already decided to stay in this mission with both feet till the end… and that's that. When he gets like this all you can do is…"

"Go along with him and pray he doesn't get killed?" Renee guessed.

Chloe nodded thinking that pretty much summarized all her years of friendship with Jack Bauer. And then, with her normal casual tone for stating the obvious, she added, "Don't worry, you'll get used to that"

Renee bit her lip, realizing she really had little choice. She was powerless again and she hated it so much when that happened. She wasn't sure if could be the kind of girl who had to _'Go along with him and pray he doesn't get killed'. _Especially when she was the reason he was in danger. So she just told Chloe somberly, "We'll see."

**01:42:04**** AM**

When she was officially free to leave CTU, she called Jack. She tried several times, but she got the voice mail. Probably he was at a moment of a mission in which he couldn't talk. She heard Fahrad Hassan was dead and they had taken the body to a hospital, pretending he was alive, to attract the people who wanted him dead. She tried to discretely lurk around CTU to check for news about Jack and the mission. But, of course, she had to leave as soon as they noticed what she was doing.

As she was heading to the exit, she called Jack again and he replied with his serious voice "this is Bauer"

Like always the sound of his voice made her heart go faster, but in a good way. However, she was still embarrassed about the situation she had put him into. A bit awkwardly she said, "Jack, it's me."

"Hey." He said with tone softening till it was barely a whisper. He was so glad to hear from her.

"I've been released. I'm free to go." She informed feeling still uncomfortable.

"Good." He stated relieved to hear it was the official end of her nightmare.

"Chloe told me what you did. You leveraged Hastings. Said that you would head up field ops until this crisis was over in exchange for CTU dropping any possible charges against _me_" She stressed the word 'me' to point out he was sacrificing himself over so little. Then she added, "I didn't ask you to do that, Jack".

"I know you didn't. Look, someone in the White House is trying to set you up to take responsibility for the failure of our mission, and I couldn't let that happen because you did nothing wrong." He said trying to sound firm. That was as certain to him as the fact that working for CTU in any city could destroy your life. They had broken Renee by dragging her into a mission without caring she wasn't ready for it. So now he would fix it. He added, "You understand me? Renee, you need to let this go. You're not responsible for what's happening."

"Yeah, okay." She told him to please him, but still not convinced at all.

Fearing he hadn't been clear enough about his feelings before, he whispered "Hey, I meant what I said earlier. When this is over, I want to be there for you..." Suddenly realizing that had sounded as something a buddy would say, he corrected himself, "_with _you. The way… the way we used to."

He felt his heart suddenly racing and the air abandoning his lungs. Merely saying those words had been so damn hard. Not only because he feared wouldn't she feel the same. Also because he was terrified that he was putting a huge red target on her head. He had been scared about that when they were together. But now that he was actually working for CTU his fears were multiplied by a hundredth.

Renee was too overwhelmed to respond at first. She wanted him back more than anything; she just didn't think she was worth it of that. But her heart longed to feel him near her again. She whispered, "I'd like that."

"I'll have a CTU agent take you home then. I'll meet you there when this is over." He said relieved, and already looking forward to that moment.

"All right, Jack." She agreed too overwhelmed by a thousand different emotions. She felt like coward for running to hide in his apartment while he was in peril. But she also needed desperately to be in a safe and comfortable place.

A bit awkwardly, he told her, "There is a box with your things… and you'll find something in my nightstand that has your name on it"

She half-smiled thinking of that silver necklace, with her eyes full of tears she said, "I definitely want that back"

Jack smiled relieved to hear that. But of course, he had no time to savor the moment or tell her anything else. They already needed him back in the mission. "Look, I'm getting chatter over the comm. I gotta go."

"Okay, bye." She said with a small hint of a smirk.

**01:42:04 AM**** - ****Dana Walsh apartment **

Dana entered her apartment and allowed herself to take one deep breath. The whole nightmare was finally over. Her cover was still safe. Cole unknowingly had just made sure of that, and he was now waiting for her downstairs in the car. All they needed was to go back to CTU as soon as possible and forget everything about Kevin and Nick.

She hastily got rid of everything she was wearing. Her clothes were all dirty with mug and Kevin's blood, so she threw them away, planning to burn them later. She quickly got herself cleaned. Then she put on a shirt, black pants and a brownish blazer. She undid her pony tail and combed her hair neatly but leaving it loose. She looked at herself in the mirror satisfied. She looked clean and professional again. Nobody would guess she had just dumped two bodies into the Jackie Kennedy reservoir lake. Suddenly, her cell phone went off. But it wasn't his regular one. It wasn't even the one he used to contact Samir. It was a cell phone with a number that only her most important contacts had. The people she truly worked for called there. But she didn't expect to hear from them at this point. She picked up tentatively and gave her code name, "yeah? This is Jade"

"Jade? It's Aleck" The man on the other line said providing a code name as well. Neither one of them knew for sure who the other one was. But the man had a very strong suspicious about her. "I had to stay dark for the last few hours. Now I'm back in our mission, what's the status of Operation Red Square?"

"There is no Red Square anymore!" Dana hissed feeling truly mad. "Jack Bauer took most of them down and arrested Sergei Bazhaev. But the nuclear rods are missing, and now those lunatics of the IRK will nuke Manhattan."

"What?" The man asked genuinely surprised.

"Renee Walker blew off our plan. Why did you push me to call her in the first place?" Dana claimed feeling truly pissed. She was so tired to dealing either with idiots or crazy people.

"Because you said you needed to impress your boss to protect your cover. You wanted Hastings in your pocket and you needed an expert in Russian intelligence. So I sent you the file of the best one"

"Well, your 'genius' turned out to be insane. She killed Vladimir Laitanan and ruined everything."

"Yeah… I heard about what Renee did" The man said not being able to hide how awkward he was feeling.

"You know, Aleck? Our assignment is to make sure Hassan gets taken out, stop the peace agreement and cover the people we work for. Not letting a bomb actually to go off in Manhattan."

"Look, I know things are not going according to the plan…"

"Gee, you think? You told me when Walker got the rods, the Red Square would take the blow and our bosses would be safe. Now when Samir asks my help to bomb Manhattan I'll have to go along with it."

"Relax. They are gonna stop the bomb on time. Only Hassan will get taken out. Now, you said CTU has Sergei Bazhaev. Will he implicate our boss?"

"Not if he enjoys breathing." She stated the obvious. Then she realized she was running late to go back to work. "Good, now I should go…"

"Wait… what about Renee Walker? Is she in a lot of trouble?" He asked anxiously, but trying not to show he was actually concerned.

"Why do you care?" Dana asked getting suspicious.

"I don't. I just need a report of her status in case she figures this whole thing out" He stated with his tone cold.

"I have no idea what happened to her" And she didn't really care about it.

"Get back at me when you do" The man demanded firmly.

"I don't have time to do that. I have problems of my own, you know?"Dana protested. And then she added, "I have to go back to work and pray that I still have a job."

"Do what you can, I have to go." He said noticing he had to go back to monitoring the man he was keeping under surveillance. The undercover FBI Agent then watched on his computer the images that came from the secret micro-camera his partner had hidden on her necklace. He couldn't help flinching feeling truly disgusted. But his partner was already getting dressed and ready to come back to report to him. Their target had sex with her for a grand total of a minute and a half. It really sucked being that woman at this moment.

The things you had to do for the sake of your country.

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

**(Please, tell me what you think!)**

Next: Renee takes a break from her ordeal and unexpectedly an old friend shows up at her door.


	9. A damsel in distress not me!

_Author's note:__ Thanks again for the immense support! Thanks for reading this story, and thanks for the reviews. They mean so much to me. And inspire me to update faster. = ) _

_This chapter will bring back Agent Leon Craig. And I'll also introduce a new character of my own creation: Agent Elisabeth "Liz" Stockard (named in tribute to two of my favorite actresses: Elizabeth Moss and Stockard Channing) _

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Renee breaks down and confesses voluntary manslaughter. Jack is furious because he thinks Renee did nothing wrong and the White House is setting her up. So he commits to work for CTU until they find those nuclear rods, in return Renee gets to walk away free of charges. She feels terrible about putting Jack in that position. But knowing Jack never changes his mind when he wants something, she reluctantly accepts the situation. Over the phone, they agree to get back together after the mess is over.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters (except Leon Craig and Liz Stockard). They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 9:**

**A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS… NOT ME!**

**May 21rt – YEAR 2018**

**01:45:00 AM - Manhattan**

A sexy woman with long blonde curls and eyes of a dark shade of blue stepped out the expensive presidential suite of the plaza hotel. She was wearing a really short pink dress that left very little to the imagination. Two secret service agents were guarding the door, and obviously there had to be others all around the hotel. One agent seemed to materialize himself from nowhere "Miss, I'll escort you to the door. As you surely understand, we need to make sure you don't run into any reporters"

"Of course" she said all giggly and flirty. The agent escorted to a back door, making sure she wasn't to be seen. Before she left, she got an envelope with the money for her services. "Aw, he's such a generous man, isn't he?" The agent simply nodded. Checked her purse for any possible stolen items, and then released her.

After leaving the hotel, she sneaked out in direction to the Central Park, where a man dressed all in black, with a black baseball cup and infrared binoculars on his hands was waiting for her. Without exchanging a word, they made several blocks until the car they had parked. Once he was driving to her place, she could finally allow a few tears run through her cheeks.

He felt incredibly sad for his partner, "I'm truly sorry"

"I'm fine. We might actually get some evidence now" She said hopefully. She was so deeply disgusted by what she had done. She wouldn't let it be in vain.

"Did you get to make the switch?"

"Yeah" she said taking a little pin of the American flag she had hidden in her bra, and then she threw that pin away. The owner now had one that looked identical but actually had a hidden Mic.

They finally arrived to her apartment. Her partner drew a gun and entered first to check the place for possible intruders. Then he used a metal detector to make sure there were no hidden Mics or cameras and then finally announced "All clear, Stockard"

Elizabeth smiled amazed that she had known her partner for about seven months and still called each other by their last names, "Good. Now I really need to take a shower. Could you please start setting things up?"

"Sure" He said once again feeling sad for what his partner had to do. He went with his backpack to the small windowless room that served perfectly as a studio. They could keep the lights in the rest of the apartment off and nobody would know there was somebody home. He turned on Agent Stockard's computer. She was actually the real computer genius in this sting operation they had going on. But, having to work on his own for a long time, Agent Craig also had some technical knowledge. He took his netbook and passed all the information gathered that night into Liz's computer. Had leveled one audio file as "CL-52021-Plaza"

He couldn't help overhearing that she was crying in the bathroom. He went to check on her, alarmed. But then he realized there was no threat or bad news. She was simply unleashing all the anger and angst she was feeling over what she had just done. Both of them had come to hate fiercely Charles Logan. But he couldn't even imagine what Liz was feeling. Too uncomfortable to do anything else, Leo discretely backed away to return to the studio. He had promised himself never to get too emotionally attached to a partner. In his line of work, that only brought problems. His efforts to remain distant were as far as to persist in foolishly calling her by her last name.

A few minutes later, Liz came back in her regular clothes, jeans and a green shirt. She felt better and sat in front of her computer. She looked at her partner, "is that tonight's audio?" He nodded, so she opened it "ok… nothing at first, so I'll forward it a little… somewhere after the third bottle of wine…. there it is…"

"_You'll see me tomorrow night too Barbie?"_

"_Whenever you want, Mr. President"_

"_Good… good… I'll want a special celebration"_

"_Oh, Is it your birthday? Awesome"_

"_No, it's…mmmm… my come back day… the day President Taylor will beg for my help and eat from my hand… I'll save the day. I'll be a superhero"_

"_Cool, what's your super power?"_

"_My super human ability to be friends with the Russians, I guess" _

Agent Stokard stop it explaining "that's pretty much it… except for his humming of the tune of Rocky"

Agent Craig couldn't help to giggled and nodded, "Yeah… I heard it over my earpiece."

Liz told him somberly, "I told you she wasn't lying to me, Craig." Then she sighed, shook her head and said outraged "He knows everything! That bastard's just waiting for Hassan to be taken out"

"I know, but…"

"We don't have enough to expose him, or any of them, I know that" Liz interrupted sharply. Unfortunately, they still didn't have enough solid evidence yet.

"But he has that mic disguised as a pin…. Plus, Tokarev's phone is fixed. We'll catch them soon" He assured her.

"Hope so" Liz exhaled clearly preoccupied. Counting their boss, they were just three undercover agents trying to debunk a massive conspiracy within the Russian government plus the involvement of a disgraced former US President. How could they possibly pull that off? And, more importantly, could they do it before Omar Hassan gets taken out?

**0****2:00:00 AM – Chelsea, Manhattan, Jack's apartment **

Renee entered the familiar apartment and took a look around. It was everything pretty much as she remembered it. The light brown table where they had shared breakfast and read the newspapers was still there. And so was the cozy black couch where they had made out passionately before he carried her to bed. It was a black couch. Black. Not a trace of that hideous shade of red. She ran her hand through the arm of that couch, it felt so different. Then, out of curiosity, she went to look through the bookcase. It was nearly empty now. Obviously because Jack had nearly finished packed to go to L.A. by the time that 'old informant' knocked on his door, as he had said.

She noticed that lovely framed picture of little Teri, formerly displayed over a shelf and now inside a half-packed box. Renee impulsively picked it up. A half-smile curled her lips up when she recalled Jack and his lovely precocious granddaughter. It represented everything Jack longed in his heart. Family… a normal life. Kim's words came to haunt her again. He deserved a woman who was hassle-free. _Oh my God, when that girl finds out about the stab… the Red Square… and the deal with Hastings… _Kim would rightfully hate her. Renee's smile faded and a single tear ran from her eye through her cheek. Jack shouldn't be back working at CTU instead of starting a better life in L.A. because he felt the need to save his lunatic former girlfriend. It was so unfair.

When she put little Teri's picture right where it belonged, she saw another one with a similar frame. Renee couldn't believe it was still there. It had been taken around the last week of April….

_She was making French toasts by the kitchenette. She was wearing only her 'the-best-man-for-the-job-is-a-woman' t-shirt and her panties. Her hair was loose, uncombed. Out of the blue, she noticed Jack was taking pictures of her. "Jack! Stop it! I'm not even wearing pants" she protested as she tried to take the camera away from him. _

"_That's the best part" Jack teased, but then he added seriously "don't worry. I just have an obsession with that t-shirt" He showed Renee a picture of her holding the frying pan. Her auburn locks were running freely through both sides of her head covering her ears. And of course, nothing was visible below the waist. _

"_What's up with your obsession with this t-shirt?" Renee said shaking her head, truly not getting it. Then Jack put one arm around her waist, held the camera in front of them with the other one and took a picture. _

_Then he commented smirking "definitely a screensaver"_

Jack had eventually the picture printed and framed. Renee stared at it marveled by how happy they both looked at that moment. It amazed her that he still kept it. She found it so hard to believe he still cared about her like that. She was nothing but a walking disaster. Yet, they had been so happy at one point. She realized love was all she had to give him. Could that be enough?

Then she headed to the bedroom, recalling Jack had said there was something for her over the nightstand, where she spotted that** beautiful silver necklace with a heart that said ****_'Renee Abigail Walker'_**** on the back. '****_So you never forget who you really are in your heart_****' Jack had explained the night he had given it to her. Renee picked it up. It was a symbol of everything she had once been, everything Jack had tried to bring back in her and everything he deserved from her. Then she recalled that day grief had made her lose her mind and walk away from all that after writing on a post-it **'_I just can't be her. I'm sorry_.' Then the advice Chloe had given her also came to mind _'__Jack thinks he's cursed. If I were you, I'd do my best to prove him wrong. Pull yourself together. Find a way to forgive yourself and get past this'_. If Jack could forgive her, she could try to forgive herself.

But first thing first, she got undressed and went to the bathroom. She walked into the shower and allowed the hot water to wash her. She felt dirty and poisoned. So, in order to move on she had to get the poison out. She fiercely rubbed every inch of his body with soap and a sponge. Then she cleaned most of all her private parts. At least this time Vladimir had worn a condom, '_Who knows who you've been with in Mexico_' he had explained smirking and truly believing she had been sleeping around. Thank God that had made him use protection for once.

Afterwards she stepped out the shower, with a towel wrapped around her body and then she stared at her reflection the mirror. Then, out of the blue she saw Vladimir right behind her, smirking but with one eye missing. '_You look thin_' He said casually. First, Renee was absolutely petrified by fear. Next, she turned around abruptly ready to kill him with her bare hands if she had to. Except he wasn't there anymore. He wasn't there. He would never ever be there. Her moment of insanity had definitely made sure of that. Knowing Vladimir Laitanan would never be around her made a sudden wave of relief take over her. But swiftly she collapsed on the bathroom floor sobbing uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around her knees. How could she be such a monster? How could she feel any sort of relief because of what she had done?

After a while, she calmed down and wiped the tears from her eyes. She then managed to get up and go to Jack's bed where she lied exhausted over which had always been his side. She simply laid there on her tummy, hugging his pillow, trying to breathe deeply and take in his essence. But as physically exhausted as she felt, she was too restless to actually sleep. So she got up, got herself dressed with the same jeans and pink t-shirt. And then she wondered to the kitchenette. She made herself some tea and once again picked up the picture of her and Jack together. A picture in which Jack's smile actually reached his eyes. Jack had gone thought the most horrible storms and yet he had made it to his shore. He had been actually happy reunited with his daughter and getting to know his granddaughter. He had also been blissful with her for a short while, even after everything he had gone through. She shook her head marveled and wondered out loud "How the hell did you do it?"

She left the picture inside the box, and then she noticed over the counter a little block of post-its with a pen. Without really knowing why, she picked it up and sat on a chair by the table, she sipped a bit of her tea. She was feeling so lost again. Was it right to have him back when clearly she didn't deserve it and she was too messed up? Could she actually get better? Could she ever be as strong as him? Could she really get back on her feet? Renee was slightly thrown aback when she realized that she had written something on the post-it without even noticing. '_What would Jack do?_' She didn't know what had made her write that, but she kept staring at that little yellow paper with one single question as if it were an encyclopedia containing the answers to all the world's problems.

**0****2:30:00 AM**

Renee could call neither CTU nor Jack to remain updated on what was going on. In the middle of such an important mission, nobody would have the time or the inclination to brief her. Having not much choice, she sat on the couch and turned it on CNN, figuring it would be better than nothing. Of course they would try to keep everything away from the reporters, but some things were prone to get leaked, except nothing interesting did. So she felt into a restless slumber.

"_That is why you're here? The deal?" Vladimir exclaimed hurt and outraged as if she hadn't told him that much _like _millionth times. Not even bothering hiding her disgust and disbelief, she acidly pointed out "Why else? Do you think that I'm here for you?" Vladimir slapped her and then he smacked her again even harder, making her fall down to the floor, along with the bread board and everything on top of it. "Get up" he said smirking mockingly. Renee got up in a fury and nailed a knife deep in his eye. He screamed in pain and tried to grab her arm and stop it, but it was too late. She immediately stuck a knife into his heart, knocking him down. But then she got on top of a now clearly dead Vladimir and kept inflicting stab wounds like crazy on his upper body, at the rate of one per second. _

She startled awake, shivering. As if it were a movie about other people, she had seen what happened for the very first time. The fact that he had ordered her to get up was news to her, but that only confirmed she never actually had to stab him. Not even once. She could have chosen to get up, leave the office and tell Jack to call in the TAC teams. So, why didn't she? What had she been thinking at that moment? That still remained a mystery to her. Why had she lost her mind like that? Why had she morphed into such a monster?

Some soft knocks on the door interrupted her thoughts and startled her. Who could it possibly be in the middle of the night? Then she noticed the person knocking the door was following a patron: two sharp hits, a pause, another two quick knocks, then another pause and finally three bangs. Then she looked through the peephole for confirmation and opened the door as soon as she saw the other person and exclaimed stunned "Oh, my God" As usual, Leo first signaled not to speak and checked the place for possible hidden devises. Then he closed the window blinds and relaxed. She asked him puzzled "Leo, what's going on?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing fine" He stated with genuine concern. And then he added "I heard about Vladimir" with a tone that said '_and you'd never believe how'_

"Oh" was all she could gasp dumbly at first. Leo was normally somebody she could talk honestly with about everything. It was someone she had always turned to during her worst moments. And she was feeling so awful that she truly needed a friend. After shaking her head for a moment, as if resisting letting it all out, she finally admitted in sobs "I killed him… I just went crazy and killed him"

Leo stared at her as if he were about to cry himself. Then he took her in his arms and rocked her rubbing circles in her back. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry"

She calmed down and then glanced up at him confused "why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault"

"Oh, I know" he replied anxiously. And then added "I'm just sorry you are feeling so sad"

She sighed deeply. Then she realized how weird it was that Leo had just shown up in this time and place, "wait… how do you know what happened? How did you know I'd be here… alone?"

"I can be really resourceful." He said smirking. Then he explained "a friend got access to the CTU data base"

Renee rolled her eyes not even surprised. "Of course… you know? Normal friends use the phone"

"But gorgeous, you know normalcy is not truly my thing" He said teasingly. Actually, he had been too scared that somebody could be listening to his calls to phone her before showing up.

"Yeah, well… this is Jack's apartment. I can't have friends over, normal or of any other kind" She said feeling truly uncomfortable.

"Oh, come on… he won't be upset if I just stay a little while to chat. I don't think he wants you to be all alone in a moment like this" Leo pleaded with her. He was truly worried.

Renee shrugged, guessing it truthfully wouldn't harm anybody if she had a coffee with a friend and Jack seemed to be all for her having a baby sitter. As she made some coffee, Leo took yet another curious look around. He had expected Jack Bauer's apartment to be like a small bunker, with bullet proof doors and windows, an alarm system plus several locks on the door. He stared at the windows worriedly for the hundredth time. But then he decided he was just being too paranoid. Why would anyone target Renee anyway? He took a seat in one of the chairs.

"So, Leo… how did you find out what happened?" Renee asked casually, as serving the coffee.

Scratching the back of his head, which was his own nervous tick, Leo replied "well, do you remember Roman?"

Renee frowned; Roman was the Captain of a different Russian Mob and the last guy Vladimir had called before giving up. She replied sharply "yes"

Then Leo began explaining the only part of the truth he could actually tell her "I was undercover with him and one of his guys. Then he got a call…"

"What did they say?" Renee interrupted anxiously.

Leo replied quoting Roman's exact words "Vladimir was killed by that woman who was his bitch a few years ago. Apparently she's a cop"

Renee covered her mouth with her hand horrified, figuring what that meant, "Oh God…"

Leo nodded and stated "My thoughts exactly. They knew I had gotten you in Vladimir's gang… so…"

Not needing to hear more, Renee finished for him "I blew off your cover…" She felt so terrible because in the heat of the moment, it had never even occurred to her to warn him before going under again. She shook her head and whispered "oh, Leo I'm so sorry… I wasn't thinking"

"It's ok. I took them out and ran away" He assured her sincerely, taking her hand to make her feel better. Nobody had a way to know for sure he had killed those two guys, and all the Russians aware of his connection with Renee now happened to be dead.

"What's wrong with me, Leo?" Renee whined like a child and then she insisted desperately "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Leo held her again, feeling like shit. What had he done? He should have known better than anybody that Vladimir would drive Renee crazy "Nothing! After everything he did to you…"

But Renee was again fully embarked on a guilt boat and nobody could get her out of it. Every single thing she had done since leaving Jack had been irrational. Between sobs she protested "So not the point! Tonight I made nothing but stupid choices. I couldn't thing clearly. I lost my temper… I lost my head"

His heart was breaking as he watched his friend so devastated. He whispered almost like talking to himself "this is not what I thought would happen"

She stared at him confused again as she wiped away her tears, "what?"

Realizing he was almost revealing too much, he mumbled "Well… I mean… hypothetically, I thought if you ever faced Vladimir again things would turn out differently and that you'd archive the victory you always wanted"

If she hadn't been so upset, she would have noticed the anxiety in her friend's tone. But Renee simply nodded and sighed sadly. "You know what? That's what I thought too. When I was asked to go under with the Russians again, I agreed thinking that I could make it right this time. Now it's all messed up"

"It'll get fixed, gorgeous" Leo promised, but deep down he knew things were prone to get much worse before they could get better. However, in the end, it all had to turn out fine. He didn't know how. But it had to. This had to end with the Russians and Charles Logan exposed and facing justice.

It suddenly occurred to Renee that Leo had no reason to be in New York at all since his cover had blown off and Roman was dead. "Hold on… what are you still doing here? Your target is dead" And then it suddenly hit her "but your target isn't dead, isn't it?"

Leo shook his head and whispered sadly "I'm afraid he hardly is"

Renee folded her arms in front f his chest and asked angrily, "Leo, what the hell are you up to?"

"I'm just investigating a lead I got while I was still under with Roman's gang" He explained defensively and trying to be as non-specific as possible.

"A lead? About what's going on now?" Since her friend remained quiet, she pointed out "Leo, you clearly know a hell lot about today's events or you wouldn't even have gotten to me…"

Realizing he had made yet another huge mistake, Leo stood up and said almost robotically "Renee, I obviously shouldn't have come here, given the circumstances. I apologize"

In total disbelief, she got in his way before he could leave the apartment. "No way! You are not leaving now. Jack's out there chasing after the nuclear rods… because of me. Somebody wants to build a dirty bomb and blow it in Manhattan. If you have information to stop that…"

"I don't! All right?" Leo snapped frustrated. He didn't truly know how to locate the men from the IRK who currently had the rods. Those guys had the most sophisticated and the most carefully orchestrated 'plan B' in the history of terrorism. He had no idea how those terrorist would proceed now that their original plan had failed. "If I knew a way, don't you think I'd try to stop it? Do you think I want them to build that bomb?" Renee startled and stepped back. So he realized he had scared her and felt terrible about it. Softening his tone, he explained "I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm as worried about all this as you are. There is too much at stake"

Renee nodded understandably. But then she pleaded desperately "I'm so tired of being useless. Please, just tell me whatever you know that I don't. Maybe I can help you"

Leo shook his head definitely. It was the kind of situation in which the people with too much information normally got taken out. Under no circumstances Renee could know what he did. Instead, he told her reassuringly "You can't help me… you are gonna have to trust me"

Renee just turned around with her eyes wet and approached the window to take a look outside; and she said somberly "there are thousands of people out there who right now are sleeping. They are sleeping, unaware that these could be their very last hours on this earth. They don't know they might die in a radioactive blast soon." Then she faced Leo and told him firmly "But I know and I can't just stay here doing nothing to stop it."

"I know it's difficult… but right now, you don't have a choice. You have to trust that they'll find those rods"

"Damn it, Leo! Jack happens to be the one trying to find them…" she shouted nervously, and then her voice began to break as she stated "he jumped off a cliff for me, and if he dies from the fall, I'll have no reason to…" She crumbled down in soft sobs again as Leo held her worriedly, "this is so not me… what happened today… being useless… feeling lost and scared… it's not really me"

"Hey, stop beating yourself up. Please. Stop calling yourself useless. You stepped up and did the best you could already. Now, for the love of God, would you give yourself a break?" He was practically begging her.

"Nobody is giving me another choice" She protested weakly and painfully resigned. Then she said bitterly "So here I am… a goddamn useless damsel, praying for her hero to return safely from the battlefield"

"You have never been a damsel, Walker. You are a soldier. Now you are a soldier who was badly wounded in a battle… You have to regain your strengths before fighting another one, don't you?" He assured her with as much conviction as he could. Then, guessing Renee probably hadn't eaten for far too long, he went to the fridge and, strangely, found only chocolate pudding. He shut it down and said "well… do you know what I love the most about New York? You can get a pizza at 2.30 AM"

"What?" She said looking at him as if he were crazy. Who could eat?

"It's about regaining strengths, Walker" Leo stated as if it were incredibly obvious. And then he added "Or what do you think Jack wants you to do?"

**04:21:37 AM**

She woke up from a short dreamless nap on Jack's bed in a daze. After eating some pizza, Leo had told her to go get some rest, and she felt so tired that she had actually listened to him and felt sleep with her clothes still on. She left the bedroom searching the apartment for his friend, but he was already gone. Obviously he had to go back to his mysterious mission. But apparently he had cleaned up everything first, leaving no trace of his visit. She trusted whatever he was doing was for the better. She just wished she could also help with something.

Renee's cell phone suddenly started ringing. The call came from an unknown number, which immediately gave her a bad feeling. If either Jack or Chloe were calling to with news about the operation their names would appear on the ID screen. Feeling anxious, she took the call "Hello?"

"Renee, it's Chloe. Where are you?"

It was simply Chloe calling from a different number, sounding nervous. But, well, when didn't she? Unsure whether she should be alarmed or now, Renee replied "I'm at Jack's apartment. What's going on?"

"Everything. All of our systems… CTU was hit bare down. It's a real mess." Chloe explained whispering and trying not to be seen since she wasn't supposed to call anybody from outside CTU. But since Jack was in real danger, she decided to call the only other person in the world that cared about him and could actually help.

"How did that happen?" Renee asked getting truly worried.

"I can't go into it right now, but we think the terrorists were trying to take out our radiological detectors." Chloe explained whispering at full speed.

That was definitely bad news, very bad news. "Where's Jack?"Renee asked instantly. If he was fine, everything else could be worked out.

"That's why I'm calling you. I think he might be in some kind of trouble. We need to find him." Chloe stated babbling quickly in desperation.

"Slow down, Chloe" Renee demanded with her anxiety level matching's Chloe. She needed to understand what was happening. Trying hard not to panic, she asked "Uh, what…what do you mean? What…what kind of trouble?"

"Jack was tracking the terrorists when the EMP hit. Uh, He called NSA and they lost contact, too." Chloe explained and rolled her eyes restraining herself from adding '_because they are_ _morons'_

"Does Hastings know about this?" Renee asked with concern, but really… why wouldn't he?

"He's the one who told me."

"What's he doing about it?" Renee's tone actually implied _'I bet he doesn't give a damn'_.

"Nothing. He won't send anyone out to look for them. He says he can't spare the men and that Jack can take care of himself." Chloe stated with deep indignation.

Renee sighed exasperated, but not particularly surprised. It was clear that Hastings considered Jack one 'acceptable lost'. Well, she so didn't. In fact, it was quite the opposite. That one life to her meant the entire world. She headed decisively to the bedroom, where she had already seen Jack's suitcase, and placed it over the bed sure as hell that she would find a gun in there. Meanwhile she asked Chloe "Where was Jack before you lost contact?"

"He took the first exit off the Williamsburg Bridge."

"I'm going to try to find him, Chloe. You need to get CTU back online as soon as you can. Once you acquire Jack's position, you can direct me to him." As she said that, Renee was searching frenetically inside Jack's suitcase for a gun, since hers had been taken away from her because of her '_delicate circumstances_' which had been an awfully nice way to say '_you are a nut job'_.

"Yeah, well, that might take a while. NSA brought in a repair team and they're going about it all wrong. I have a faster way to get us back online."

"Well, then tell them." Renee practically barked at Chloe. She didn't mean to be rude; she was just really upset because she still couldn't find any weapon inside the suitcase.

"I tried. They won't listen." Chloe complained deeply frustrated.

"Then you need to make them listen, Chloe. Do what you have to do." Renee insisted firmly. Chloe had to force them to go with her faster way if she had to.

The data analyst was full of doubts. She knew she had to make them listen. But… how? After a moment of hesitation, she promised a bit weakly "Ok. I will."

"Call me when you're back up." Renee requested and hung up. She had finally found Jack's handgun. She cocked it full of determination. She was furious with the entire world because of the situation Jack was in. And the mere idea of losing him forever terrified her. But this time she wouldn't let her feelings cloud her or paralyze her in any way. She would use them as an impulse.

As fast as she could, she took her silver necklace and put it on. Then, with her handgun ready, she left the apartment, and run all her way downstairs. She decided logically to start by searching in the last place Jack had been. She rushed to find a taxi and almost yelled at the driver "Williamsburg Bridge, West Broadway Roebling Street exit… we need to get there fast"

Instinctively, she put a hand over the shaped-heart necklace hanging from her neck. And whispered firmly to herself "the break is over"

She needed to find Jack. That would be so damn difficult with CTU blinded. As the cab made quickly its way to the bridge, she thought about Chloe's dilemma. They needed urgently the CTU back online and the data analyst was the best for that job but was being ignored. So Renee decided to send her a text message with the best advice she could think of. It was actually a question, but one which hopefully would give Chloe the answer:

"_What would Jack Bauer do?"_

Chloe got the message. It was a good question indeed. What would Jack do if he were in her shoes? The answer to that came rather quickly, of course. So she summoned all her courage and headed to get a handgun. She hid it and then walked directly to server room. By the door, she took a deep nervous breathe, thought of her best friend and made her way in. She would make them listen.

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

**(Please, give me your most honest opinion. I truly appreciate feedback)**


	10. The price you have to pay

_Author's note: Thanks everybody for the immense support! Please, keep those reviews coming, they make my day! Special thanks to Jack Napier for pointing out my mistake about Rob Weiss's name. I've corrected it. Thank you!_

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Jack asked Renee to wait for him in his apartment promising when the crisis is over, he'll meet her there and they'll be together again. Agents Leo Craig and Elizabeth Stockard are secretly working to expose the role of the Russian government and Charles Logan in the plot to assassinate Hassan. Rebels from the IRK plan to build a dirty bomb to detonate it in Manhattan. Renee reluctantly takes a break to recover from her ordeal. She gets a visit from Leo but is unaware of his secret agenda. Then Chloe calls her saying CTU is blinded and Jack is missing. Since Hastings won't bother looking for him, Renee goes to Jack's rescue and gives Chloe advice to get CTU back online.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters (except Leon Craig and Liz Stockard). They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 10:**

**THE PRICE YOU HAVE TO PAY **

**May 21****st**** - 2018 **

**04:30:00 AM - Manhattan – Upper West Side **

Leo had left Bauer's apartment a few minutes before and was now walking towards the subway station to go to Stockard's apartment in Greenwich Village. Out of the blue, he got a call from an unknown number "Yeah?"

"Hey, it's me" The man calling whispered trying not to be heard. "I got a complication. CTU's been hit with an EMP. My phone's been fried. The NSA got me a new one though"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Leo exclaimed shocked. How on earth had the terrorist pulled that one off?

"I wish I was…I almost got to prove at least her involvement in the robbery of the evidence locker" They couldn't prove her connection with the Russians. But they had hoped revealing the woman's real identity as Jenny Scott would lead to exposing the rest. However, the frustration in the man's voice made it obvious his plan had failed. He sighed and explained why. "The files I nearly got access to gotten fried. This here's the luckiest bitch…"

"Yes, she is" Leo said cutting the other man off a bit dryly. He was just upset about the crappy situation they were in. Then he asked far more nicely "do you think she'll give all the information she has in exchange of immunity?"

"That's the thing… She sure knows they'll take her out if she does that. So, she certain won't say a word."

"But if we don't stop her, she'll keep helping those bastards"

"I know. I'm fixing to talk to Hasting. She thinks I've given up. But if I don't contact you within the hour…"

"I know what that means." Leo assured him quickly.

"Your first priority is maintaining your cover with the Russians till you get Logan's evidence. No matter what" The man couldn't be more firm about that last part. As much as they hated that woman, there had a bigger fish to fry. But when the younger man remained silent, he insisted "I'm serious. You can't blow your cover. Now, meet Stockard and send me those files to my new phone."

"Okay. Understood", He agreed. And then he added a bit more sentimentally "Good luck, Boss. And thanks"

"Right back at ya, kiddo" The man replied with a small smile on his face, before having to hang up the phone.

**04:50:22 AM**** - ****Williamsburg's Neighborhood – Brooklyn – New York**

Inside the relative safety of a warehouse which covered them from the enemy's fire, Jack frantically tried to save Agent Owen's life, but was unsuccessful. Even though Jack hardly knew him, he felt devastated. The rookie agent had been truly noble and died far too young, intending in vain to save Agent King. He hadn't been given enough time on this earth for reaching his full potential. The most veteran agent of the group felt like a huge failure for not having properly protected the younger ones. He broke sadly the bad news to Cole "He's gone".

Cole felt crushed. But he had little time to mourn the loss of his colleague right then. There was only time to consider the ongoing situation. They had to face an awful but evident reality. Both of them would die as well if they did nothing. His tension was showing clearly on his face as he said "I lost two of the snipers. If we're gonna make a move, we got to do it soon, Jack."

Jack already knew exactly what move was necessary. There was no other choice. He explained hastily "We can't lay down cover fire for something we can't see. We need to give them something to shoot at." Then Cole's eyes widened in shock and horror, obviously realizing what those words meant. Jack was making a superhuman effort to fulfill his duty without letting his feelings get in the way. If he took a second to ponder about what he had to do, he wouldn't be able to do it. So the plan just rushed out from his mouth "I'll make a break to the north, try and draw their fire. You make a run for the call box."

Extremely appalled by the idea, Cole pointed out the obvious "But that's a suicide play, Jack. You'll never make it."

"But you will." Jack replied instantly. He couldn't allow Cole's words truly sink in. Cole just had to get to the phone. That way they would soon catch the terrorist and secure the nuclear rods. New York would be safe, so would President Hassan and, by extension, the entire peace process.

"No. I can't let you do that." Cole objected.

"I'm in command here. That's what gonna happen. Do you understand?" Jack persisted raising his voice more than he had intended. Being a CTU agent too often meant letting people die for you even though you wished they could live, and you had to shut down your emotions and accept it. Sometimes, being a CTU agent even meant you had to shoot an innocent man for the sake of the mission. Cole had to understand that harsh realities of the job.

The younger agent tightened his lips, so angry and frustrated. But unfortunately he couldn't come up with a better idea, so he whispered defeated "Yeah"

Jack noticed with some surprise Cole actually got it. They both understood one same truth, even though they didn't like it. He realized CTU would be left in good and capable hands. That left Jack with only one final matter to take care of. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" Cole asked, already knowing he would do it.

"You make sure that Hastings keeps his promise. That he doesn't bring Renee back in."

"I give you my word." The younger man said solemnly.

That was all he wanted to hear. But thinking about Renee drained away all his willingness to do what was absolutely necessary. So Jack forced himself to push her away from his mind. As he quickly prepared his assault rifle, Jack pointed out "You're not gonna have long before they start firing on you."

"Good luck, Jack." He had no idea what else to say.

"You make it to that call box." was Jack's instant and firm response. Really, nothing else mattered at that point.

**04:52:06 ****AM**

Both men rushed out at the same time with adrenaline running thought their veins. Jack kept the terrorists quite busy providing cover. He fired at the hostiles bur couldn't hit a single one of them. Then he took a bullet on his vest which brought him down. Ironically enough, from the ground he was able to take down two enemies. Until suddenly his rifle was empty so he had to switch to a handgun. Sitting down, he exchanged shots with one hostile, until the bullets that hit his vest made him flop limply onto his back. As he was falling, a millionth of thoughts crossed his mind in a fraction of a second.

First he wondered exactly how many times he had eagerly jumped into a suicide mission having no reason at all to live. Now he would actually die when there was so much he desired to live for. Should he curse his fate because death was coming for him when he wished the opposite? Or should he instead be thankful that at least the final year of his life had been one worth living? He didn't really know.

After that, he thought about Kim and little Teri, who were waiting for him in California. How would they explain what happened to the little girl? She would be so crushed. Innocent little Teri surely expected to see her grandpa soon. That child remained oblivious of the costs that came with her grandpa's job. But her blissful childish ignorance would be unfairly broken soon. On the other hand, Kim had learned at the age of sixteen too much about the high price of her father's career choice. He recalled his daughter's tears as they had parted nine hours before, somewhat foreseeing this end. But that wouldn't soften the blow though.

Next he thought of Renee, her beautiful freckled face, her gorgeous hair and her beautiful eyes. He thought of the blissful seven weeks they had shared. And there was so much he still wanted to tell her. Did she know the way he felt about her? He couldn't stand the thought of leaving her alone. He wished so badly to have more time with her.

And then his head hit the concrete and everything turned black.

**Meanwhile…**

The cab made it to Brooklyn and took the first exit off the Williamsburg Bridge, driving down Roebling Street. Renee only knew she should search by the river. So he told the driver to take the 8th street and head to the docks. When they reached Wythe Avenue they heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots on the distance. The driver turned around in panic. So Renee yelled desperately, "No! Stop here!"

"Are you crazy, lady?" He asked her. But before he could even finish talking, the woman broke the glass of the security shield between them with her elbow and put her gun on his head. He then stopped dryly terrified.

"That's still unclear. But here's where I get out" Renee told him calmly as she left the vehicle while giving him money for the fare plus something extra to fix the glass. If he called the police, that wouldn't be so bad. There was obviously need for backups. She ran as fast as was humanly possible, following the sound of the gunshots.

She paced down when she got close enough, trying to remain unseen. She moved around a building, keeping her back against the wall. Then she spotted a hostile aiming his rifle at some agent lying unconscious on the ground. Infuriated, Renee instantly shot the bastard twice on the back. Once that terrorist was down, Renee followed the sound of more gunshots and effortlessly took down another guy who was shooting at Cole Ortiz.

"Clear!" Cole yelled while running safely to the call box.

Renee looked around wondering where Jack was, and noticed horrified that he was the one unconscious on the floor. '_Oh my God' _she thought fearing the worst as she ran towards him and desperately called his name several times while searching him for wounds. He abruptly woke up and gasped for air seeming slightly confused, almost panicked. Not truly capable of hiding her own anxiety, she assured him "It's okay. It's okay. It's me. It's Renee…" then she lowered her tone realizing her freaking out wasn't helping, and repeated "It's okay."

Jack was in such a consuming pain that he could barely keep his eyes open. There were also hundredths of questions floating in his head. What had kept him alive? He couldn't believe he was alive. He was almost choking and the little air he could inhale felt like fire in his lungs, but he was alive against all odds. And how come Renee was there? He was so glad to see her gorgeous face again. But if she was there she wasn't safe, which was so not okay. Sadly, he couldn't express any emotion. The priority had to be the mission. Therefore, still struggling hard for air he managed to explain "They got the fuel rods in a boat. They're heading across the river into the city." And then, still afraid of dying, he added unnecessarily "I can't breathe."

Renee held his head while checking whether he had any gunshot wound, but to her immense relief he didn't. She assured him calmly "Shh. It's okay. Nothing went through." Still groaning and wincing in pain, Jack intended to steady himself in a sitting position but failed. She firmly tried to calm him down "Relax, Jack. You may have a collapsed lung, try not to move"

At that moment, Cole ran to Jack's side to share some good news "Jack, I got through to CTU. They just got back online. NYPD's sending choppers. We still got a real good shot at finding them." And then he left quickly to get back in contact with CTU and coordinate the next steps in the mission.

Jack felt like a river of sweat running through his face. Just breathing was a very difficult and painful task. But panting he managed to ask Renee "How…? How did you get here…?"

"Chloe called me to explain me everything… It's okay, Jack… It's okay…" She told him reassuringly. It had to be okay. She was still worried about him but tried to stay strong for him. He had to be fine.

He was feeling slightly more serene. He pulled his arms under him and attempted to sit up, but he was too weak and nearly collapsed. Then Renee lifted him up and against her. His breathing became more regular. His eyes met Renee's and he kept his gaze in those beautiful light bluish eyes. "So, you came here on your own and shot those guys?" Jack asked for confirmation, since he hadn't seen anything. Renee nodded shyly. He then he stated admired "You _are_ fearless". He actually had always known that. But he was pleasantly surprised to see her normal old self reemerging so soon after her horrible Russian ordeal. Predictably, his words made her crack a sweet half-smile. She was incredibly beautiful. He finally added "Thank you so much".

Sirens could be heard in the distance. Renee then shook her head, feeling undeserving of any thanks since she was the reason he had put himself in danger in the first place. Then with a dismissive gesture she said "l should thank you for reminding me who I really am"

Jack realized what she meant as soon as something shiny in Renee's neck caught his eye. It was the silver necklace. He caressed the little silver heart with two fingers and whispered "you found it"

"I can't believe I almost lost it" she whispered back to him, talking truly about everything she had almost lost. Jack meant the world to her, and she had almost lost him. She felt a big lump on her throat. She couldn't bear to even think about what could have happened. But she reminded herself to stay strong for him and just held him as close to her as she could in the current circumstances.

Soon, the sound of ambulances sirens and choppers engines become louder. When the ambulance arrived, she pulled him to him feet, and Jack slowly and limping walked to the ambulance with her support. She had intended to stay right next to him as the EMT examined him. But as Jack's grey t-shirt was pulled up, she got a glimpse of an ugly red wound he had on his abdomen. She had done that to him. Looking at that was far more than she could handle. She turned around with her arms folded in front her chest, suddenly feeling chilly, and walked away towards the river. She kept staring the water as her eyes clouded with tears.

Jack noticed instantly what happened. His eyes were fixated in her. It broke his heart knowing how badly she felt about that incident. He was abruptly taken away from his thoughts as he felt a sharp pain as they examined his bruises. The ETM technician offered painkillers for his pain, and Jack shook his head absentmindedly. He wouldn't go down that road again. Besides, at the moment, he was only interested in Renee's pain. How badly he wished he could make all her sorrows disappear and shield her forever from new ones.

While watching the East River, Renee laid a hand on her chest touching the small silver heart. She had been so incredibly lost, drowning deeply in dark waters. But she had to swim back to the surface. She had to be strong for him. Knowing exactly what Jack needed from her, she got back in agent-mode and approached Cole Ortiz to ask for an update on the situation. After being fully briefed, she turned around to look at Jack. Even though it was night time, there was enough light around for her to see her way back where she belonged.

**05:00:00 ****AM**

With a fresh dressing over his stab-wound, Jack wrapped tightly his abdominal area with a bandage. The ETM told him "You have grade three level bruising." And then insisted "Are you sure you don't want any painkillers?"

Renee was now near him and got slightly alarmed to hear that. But then Jack gave her a complicity look and told the ETM "They're wrapped tight. They'll be fine."

"I can't know if the ribs are broken without an x-Ray. You should see a doctor. Any more stress could cause the lung to collapse." The medical technician advised wisely.

But Jack knew his ribs weren't broken since he'd had broken ribs before. Besides, he had no time to go to a hospital with nuclear rods still missing. So he told him full of confidence "Trust me, they're not broken. Thanks."

Renee was not surprised at all. It was so like Jack to be stubborn and act as if he had superhuman powers. She asked him with concern "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Jack said dismissively as he put on a new vest, feeling he had already shown her way too much weakness and vulnerability. He went straight to the urgent matters asking "Where are we at with the fuel rods?"

"We found the zodiac partly submerged in the river near 11th street… empty. The rods are in Manhattan, Jack. It's not over yet. CTU doesn't think we're more than a few minutes behind." She provided him the information Cole had given her. It was slightly strange for her to be so agent-like with Jack, of all people. But obviously the problem at hand required everybody to just set themselves in crisis-mode.

After Renee confirmed that Cole was running the ground OP, Jack told her "Okay, I want you to contact Chloe. Get her to download archival photos from 11th and the river. Have her date them back 15 minutes."

She nodded and left immediately, determined to help in any way she could.

**05:08:55 AM**

Jack was talking over the phone with Cole, who had some pretty disturbing news. The taxi driven by the terrorists with the nuclear rods had been quickly found via satellite drone, but the drone had failed. Such 'failure' had been pretty damn convenient for the bad guys. Without hiding the suspicious on his voice, Jack pointed out "Yeah, but how long was the satellite down? What, 30 seconds?"

"Yeah. I know what you're thinking, Jack. Odd we lost the feed just as we were closing in on the target." Cole was also suspecting there could be a mole at CTU who had disabled the drones. Although it made him sick to think there could be a traitor among them.

"Who was running point at CTU?"

"Chloe O'brian. You know her from before, right?

"Yes" He replied resenting the implied accusation.

"And you trust her?" Cole hardy knew Chloe, but Jack's endorsement would be good enough for him.

"With my life" Jack stated firmly and also upset. Chloe was absolutely not the mole. Her unquestionable loyalty had been proven time after time over the past decade. Then somebody handed him another cell phone saying President Taylor wanted to talk to him. He ended his call with Cole and took the President's.

Candid and straight to the point as always, Allison Taylor told him she needed a favor. Jack was honored to help her, but also a bit afraid of what she could ask. If the president of the USA needed him, that meant usually very bad news. It turned out President Taylor wanted Jack to supervise the evacuation of President Omar Hassan and his family from the UN. But he had to find the missing nuclear rods. What about his deal with Hastings? He tried to refuse politely. "With all due respect, madam president, I think I'd be much more helpful staying in place here with CTU. Besides, Secret service is more than capable."

"Well, that may be true, but I'd feel a lot better knowing you were on the job." Allison replied trying not to show how unsettled she actually was. She was sure her presidential tone left no room for doubt about the importance of what she had asked. Perhaps Jack was refusing because he felt the task was beneath his abilities. So with a nicer but yet firm tone, she highlighted the significance of what she needed from him. "Jack, in light of the threat to New York, President Hassan's role in securing a lasting peace is more crucial than ever. I need him safe."

Renee had already finished what Jack had asked her to do. She approached him as he was on the phone with someone. When he looked at her, she noticed his expression was somber and worried.

"I understand, ma'am. I'll leave for the UN immediately." He agreed reluctantly. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the hunt for the nuclear rods up to others, and he was afraid Hastings would consider that a break of their deal. He didn't want to jeopardize his arrangement with the CTU director. But obviously he couldn't use that as a valid reason to deny his president a favor, or to disobey an order from her.

"Thank you, Jack. I'll see you when you get here." The president said with huge relief.

"Yes, ma'am." He said and finished the conversation with Taylor. Then shrugging and trying to sound totally casual about it, he explained Renee "She wants me to supervise Hassan's evacuation to McGuire air force base."

Not missing a beat, she said "All right, let's go."

"No way." Jack responded automatically without even a second thought. Then he added more gently "Renee, I need to do this on my own."

First she was hurt, even offended. Then she realized after everything she had done, Jack had every reason in the word to keep her away from any CTU operation. However, things were different now. She felt stronger. She wouldn't step aside as he put himself in a life threatening situation. She would fight right next to him whether he wanted it or not. Looking at him straight in the eyes, she told him definitely "We're not going through this again. I'm coming with you, end of discussion." She then headed to the vehicle that would take them to the UN.

He watched her troubled for a second as she walked away from him. The Renee Walker he had known was definitely back. She was smart, capable and fiercely determined. He had zero power to intimidate her. Yet, she couldn't let her get involved in another CTU mission because he couldn't stand losing her. Jack walked fast towards the car and gently took her arm preventing her from opening the door. "Renee, wait…"

She turned around, finding herself cornered between him and the car. But she shook her head and cut him off rather sharply "No. I don't want to hear it, Jack." Then she softened a little and pleaded "please, don't say it"

He could guess what Renee was thinking, and she was wrong. So he dared her by asking "how do you know what I was gonna say?" His tone was telling her _'I'd bet my life you have no idea what I'm thinking'_

"You don't want me around" She stated quickly, summoning all her courage to acknowledge that out loud without her voice breaking.

"Damn right I don't want you around" He snapped without thinking about how that sounded. He was too pissed. Renee should know well by now how awful and dangerous was to be around anything CTU-related. He wanted desperately to be with her, but not until he could go back to have a normal life. Plus, there was a dirty bomb loose. Why would he want her around that? But then she looked at him as if he had just slapped her. She had grossly misinterpreted his words. He softened his tone and explained gently what he had meant. "I need you to be safe. I can't bear to think you are in danger."

But Renee wasn't willing to give in an inch. "And I need you to be safe. But I can't get what I want either."

"But I can't leave and be safe. I don't have that choice."

"Yeah, thanks to whom?" She asked sarcastically. Before Jack could object, she cut him off again. "It is my fault that you have to be here. So, I don't have a choice either." Then she sighed deeply. "My heart could never live with it if I left you here to deal with this on your own. And whether this ends well or bad it's not the point. Either way, I will always know I left you alone. I couldn't live with that" Then she bit her lip and blinked nervously trying to suppress a tear. Jack was about to say something, but before he could, she interrupted him "I know you think I'm gonna mess things up again, with good reason. But I promise you I won't"

"Renee, that's not what I'm thinking." Jack said shaking his head, trying to correct her.

But once again she interrupted him dryly. "I don't wanna hear what you really think of me. You've said it all before. You think I'm not ready to be in the field because I'm unstable" She then placed her hand gently over his abdomen. The stab wound was hidden under a t-shirt, a dressing, and a bandage. But it was right there. She could imagine what he probably thought of her and she honestly didn't want to hear it from his lips. Still keeping her eyes on his, she said "You thought that then. I don't even wanna know what you _truly_ think of me now. So, please, just don't say anything at all. Just let me work with you"

Jack couldn't believe how mistaken she was. It was true that her mental state had actually scared him for a while. But right there and then he felt none of that fear. What did he _truly_ think of her? He thought she was wonderful, as a woman and as an agent. He thought she was somebody he loved and couldn't stand to lose, somebody who awoke every protective instinct inside him. He _truly_ wanted to solve the crisis and just take her home to be with her again. But now it seemed she didn't believe that. Perhaps she was right and he shouldn't say anything at all. Maybe he should just prove with actions everything that was on his mind. It was obviously a very bad time and place. But what if this was his very last chance to show her how he felt?

He got even closer to her until his lips were inches away from hers. He looked in her eyes searching her reaction. She didn't seem to notice at first just how close to her he was getting. She was looking down, apparently sad because of what she believed he thought of her. But then he cautiously brushed her lips with hers.

She was too stunned at first that Jack was kissing her to have any response whatsoever. But then she put her hands on his back, closed her eyes and melted in the kiss which turned slightly more intense. The doubts about what he felt about her were momentarily vanished.

"Oh, we have to evacuate President Hassan from the UN" He whispered after breaking the kiss reluctantly. '_Damn it'_, he thought wishing they had more time. But there was an important job to get done. He rushed to the driver seat and opened the passenger's door from the inside for her. She was standing there looking at him a bit dazed. So he told her in agent-mode "Renee, we are running out of time, are you in or out?"

She took quickly the passenger's seat with a half-smile. It felt so good knowing that they were going to work together again. Truly work together. He wasn't her babysitter anymore. Now she felt so much more like his partner, like an equal. It was almost like that day they worked together in DC.

As if he were reading her mind, he told her seriously as he drove "Welcome back, Agent Walker"

**05:42:46**** AM- ****Evacuation Tunnel**

Jack, Renee and a Secret Service security detail were in the process of evacuating President Omar Hassan, his wife Dalia and his daughter Kayla from the UN to the McGuire Air Force, in New Jersey. They were underground heading to the evacuation vehicle, which would take them to destination in thirty minutes. But Jack was having a bad feeling. He called Renee up to the front of the group and warned her "Secretary kanin tried to call me. Now he's not answering his phone. The operator at McGuire air force base can't find him either. Something's not right. Keep your eyes open."

They reached a section of the tunnel packed with crates and pallets and he contacted Rob Weiss who said the secretary was "tied up" with the joint chiefs. Rob didn't seem to care at all about the fact that Ethan Kanin clearly had something important to say, otherwise wouldn't have called in the middle of a sensitive evacuation process, so Jack had to insist "Mr. Weiss, I don't think you understand. I need to talk to secretary kanin now."

"That's not possible." Weiss refused nervously.

"What do you mean, it's not possible?" Jack asked really annoyed, accustomed to contact even the President of the United States in a matter of seconds when the situation required so.

"We're dealing with an imminent Terrorist attack on our soil! Just do your job and let us do ours!" Rob shouted rudely and then hung up.

That left Jack even more perplex. "All due respect, sir, I am doing my j... Hello?" Then he realized what had happened and feeling extremely outraged he told Renee "Son of a bitch just hung up on me."

"He's under a lot of stress. They all are." Renee tried to reason, adding to herself… '_We all are'. _

"I don't give a damn" Jack muttered unimpressed and thinking '_Stress my ass,_ _Rob Weiss is simply an asshole'_. Something was definitely wrong. He then decided to stop the evacuation and head back to the UN.

But out of the blue, some people they couldn't see opened fire at them. Jack, Renee, the Hassans and the security team rushed to dive for cover. But two Secret Service Agents got taken down quickly. Jack ducked next to Hassan, and yelled at Renee "I need you to get President Hassan and his family to the side tunnel and back to the UN!"

Renee was huddled with the Hassan women who were naturally terrified. She yelled back at Jack "What about you?" She wasn't allowed to show it, but she was scared of leaving him behind.

"I'll be right behind you!" He shouted back to reassure her. And then he told President Hassan to go up the tunnel with his family plus Renee. Jack laid down covering fire for the President. When Omar Hassan caught up with them, Renee quickly led the first family of Kamistan up the tunnel. She ran with the Hassans in direction to the UN, as was her duty. Although hearing the firing behind her without being able to see Jack was freaking her out.

A group of masked commandos dressed all in black came in pursuit, shooting at them all the way. Jack dived down next to the head of the secret service detail, a young female agent called O'Connor, who told him bravely "Your orders are to stay with President Hassan. You need to go. I know what I have to do, sir." That meant she had to stay there and die trying to delay the attackers. It felt horrible for him to acknowledge that, under the harsh reality of the mission, she was an '_acceptable lost_', just like he had been earlier. But he had been lucky. She could be lucky too. So he wished her sincerely "Good luck". She thanked him, but clearly believed her time to die had come anyway. They both jumped out and she covered for him with her machine gun while Jack made his retreat. He got to Hassan and told him "Mr. President, we need to keep moving."

"Your people are being slaughtered, Mr. Bauer. We need to help them." Omar protested horrified. It made him sick knowing all those brave people were getting killed just because some lunatics with no guts hated him and everything he stood for. How many had already died for his cause?

"They're buying us the time we need. Don't let it be in vain. We need to go now!" Jack pleaded and then he and the President ran quickly.

"Give me a weapon." Hassan demanded while they kept making their retreat, but Bauer refused. The president hated feeling so useless. So he insisted, "I've been a soldier, Mr. Bauer. I can handle a gun. I'll fight with you."

But Jack had promised Allison Taylor to protect her partner in peace. He couldn't let Hassan fight. "Mr. President, my job is to protect you. You need to do what I say." President Hassan kept running ahead. But then Kayla tripped and hurt her ankle. Renee and the First Lady supported the young woman between them. They all kept trying to ran, but Jack looked back and noticed approaching flashlight beams, indicating the commandos were far too close. He warned Renee "we're not going to make it. Take cover." After she took cover with the Hassan women behind her, he pulled some grenades out of his CTU shoulder-bag and ordered her "I'm going to head up the middle. As soon as I set these off, I want you to start firing. Doesn't matter if you hit anything. Just make some noise." Then he tossed a handgun at Hassan telling him "Mr. President? You take care of your family."

The gravity of those words sent a chill all the way through Renee's spine. Jack actually thought he was about to get killed. She couldn't let it happen. She couldn't lose Jack. She knew the odds were against them. But she wouldn't be intimidated by that. She was going to work with him so they could beat the chances together and get through this alive. Jack ran toward those flashlights and tossed a smoke grenade. That was her cue. She popped up of her cover and emptied the clip of her handgun down the tunnel, forcing the attackers into cover of their own.

Concealed within the cloud and to one side of the tunnel, Jack efficiently killed two commandoes as they pass by. Renee fired more shots, drawing more of the attackers into the smoke, and he got to kill another one. He then augmented the smoke with another grenade and called Renee over. When she was next to him, he told her "I'm going to take the high ground. In about five seconds, start giving me cover fire. Okay?" He got up on a ledge running the length of that part of the tunnel and started sneaking up while Renee provided cover. When the enemy began firing back, Jack was in a position to take more of them out. But then he was reloading his weapon when one commando knocked him down from behind.

Jack was pretty sure this time his luck was over and that masked guy would shoot him on the head. But instead the enemy was shot on the back. To Jack's surprise, it had been President Hassan who had saved him. Before he had even time to even thank him, Jack had to take a shot at a commando who was about to shoot at the president. "Take the weapon off. Take the weapon off now!" Jack ordered the attacker, and when the guy complied, he unmasked him and demanded "Now! Who are you?"

"You're making a huge mistake." The stranger told him in clear English.

"You're American." Jack stated in disbelief. Then he demanded angrily "Why did you attack us?"

The man then explained that a dirty bomb would be detonated in New York at 06:15 unless they deliver Hassan to the terrorists. Jack and Hassan exchanged a concerned look. What the hell would they do now?

"Jack, that's less than 20 minutes." Renee pointed out the urgency of the situation feeling alarmed.

"Does the president know about this?" Jack asked. But he really didn't think so. And indeed the man explained how Taylor had refused to deal with the terrorist, adding that it was "general Brucker's operation." That was all Jack needed to know. Allison Taylor was being betrayed by a member of her staff. He just couldn't let that happen. He forced the guy to get up, explaining "I'm going to get you up to the street level, where I can make a phone call."

"There's no time for that. This is on you now. You have to deliver Hassan to the terrorists."

"I don't take orders from anybody but the president of the United States." Jack told him, disgusted by that traitor.

**06:02:02 AM**

Underneath the U.N. Jack was helping the wounded commando walk through the tunnels while Renee and the Hassan family followed behind. "This is not right. My life for so many others. It's not right." Hassan said clearly distressed by the idea.

"President Taylor doesn't see it that way." Dalia pointed out rightly.

"She knows I would never have gone along with this decision. That's why she kept me out of it."

"You are more than just one life, Omar. You are the best hope of ending a war that has lasted for decades. You must understand President Taylor is trying to protect that." Dalia hoped that would convince her husband.

"It's not acceptable. Not like this" Hassan insisted trying to figure out what to do.

After a bit more walking, Jack found a room to lock the commando in, wedging a loose section of rebar through the door handle. But Renee thought about the discussion she had overhead between the President and First Lady of Kamistan. She thought that changed things. "Jack, I need to talk to you."

"What?" He asked perceiving the urgency in her voice.

"Hassan isn't happy about Taylor's response to the ultimatum." Her tone made clear what her position was. It should be Hassan's call. She knew what it was like to live with deep regret and guilt. Wasn't Jack the one who preached about making decisions your heart could live with? What if Hassan couldn't live with all those deaths over his head?

"Doesn't matter. It doesn't affect our mission." Jack stated, unwilling to betray his own President.

Renee believed Hassan's opinion mattered a great deal, considering the decision concerned his life. So she pointed out "He's a head of state, Jack. Maybe it should."

"It's not our call. If he wants to take it up with President Taylor, he can do it when he sees..." But then Hassan clubbed Jack from behind with a section of rebar that was holding the door.

Nobody could change Omar Hassan's mind. He had decided his life wasn't worth the life of thousands. Of course he was truly devoted to his cause. He believed firmly in his allegiance with President Allison Taylor. He dreamed with the day his country could find a lasting peace. But letting thousands of people die was unacceptable to him. He couldn't live with himself if he allowed that to happen. So once the people who wanted him alive were locked up in a room, Hassan left to hand himself over to the people who wanted to kill him.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please, tell me what you think) **


	11. A viper with any other name

_Author's note: I made up my own version of Officer Bill Prady because I didn't think it made sense that a regular parole officer traveled from Arkansas to New York just to find one guy and kept questioning a CTU employee at 3 AM during a nuclear-crisis situation. What do you guys think? _

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** At 4.30, Leo is called by a man planning to unmask Dana but whose plan to get the evidence failed due the EMP bomb. He's ordered not to blow off his cover with the Russians, no matter what. Renee finds Jack and saves his life. President Taylor asks him to protect President Hassan. Jack and Renee argue because he wants her to be safe and she wants to help him. To prove his real feelings for her, he kisses her and makes her his partner in the evacuation operation. When they evacuate Hassan, they get ambushed by a group of American elite forces acting behind Taylor's back. They learn that if Hassan doesn't give himself up to the terrorist, a dirty bomb will be detonated in Manhattan. Hassan can't stand the idea of letting the bomb go off and at 6 AM he surrenders himself.

**Next:** This chapter is about Dana, and the sting operation Leo, Liz and their boss have going. The events will take place from 4.50 AM.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters (except Leon Craig and Liz Stockard). They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 11:**

**A VIPER WITH ANY OTHER NAME…**

**May 21****st**** 2018 **

**04:50:00 - Greenwich Village, New York City**

Leo got down the subway station and headed quickly to his partner's apartment. But as he got closer he heard sirens wailing. He was horrified to see Liz's building was on fire. A thick cloud of black smoke was indeed coming from inside her apartment. Then he nearly fainted when he saw the paramedics taking out a gurney with a body covered in a blanket. He just stared in shock as his eyes were damped with silent tears. That couldn't be possible. A crowd of confused neighbors were gathered outside after having being evacuated, just as a precaution. Out of the blue, somebody walked by him quickly, bumping into him. He startled and seconds later noticed the person had put a note on his pocket that said "225 Sullivan St".

He headed quickly towards that direction with his mind full of questions and his heart still aching badly over losing his partner. But he couldn't afford to grieve. He had to investigate what had happened. That fire couldn't possibly have been accidental. He had to find out who had done this to her and the address could be a lead. It belonged to a café that was opened all night. He wandered in searching around but no sure who he was looking for. Then somebody caressed his arm, he turned around rather abruptly and then stopped dryly. It was Elizabeth Stockard herself, except she was wearing a short brown straight wig and her face was bruised. Not being able to help himself, he held her tight in huge relief. "Oh, my God. I'm so glad. What happened?"

"As you would say… I'll tell you over some cappuccinos" She said still shaken up. They sat close to each other, and ordered their coffees as if they were a couple just hanging out. Then Liz began explaining "a woman broke into my apartment, knocked me down and tried to vet me. She was Russian. I have no idea how she traced me. She kept asking who my partner is. But I fought her, I had to take her out and blow up the apartment." She sighed in disbelief. That was a sentence she never thought she would say. Her hands were shaking.

Leo held her offering comfort. "It was the right move. Now everybody thinks you are dead, including the Russians"

"Just for a short while. How long until they notice the woman they sent is dead?"

Suddenly, she felt a phone vibrating on her pocket, indicating an incoming call. It was from the cell phone she had recovered from the woman who had tried to kill her. She startled and showed it to Leo with her heart pounding fast. He took it from her explaining "I know who it can be… I have an idea… let me handle it" He took the call.

"It's me. Is it done?" asked coldly an already familiar cold voice with a Russian accent.

Leo thought something quickly. He had to come up with something fast. He said, in his flawless fake Russian accent, pretending to be really distressed "Mr. Tokarev? It's me Aleck."

"What are you doing with that phone?" He asked sharply and immediately suspicious. He started tracing the phone the other man was using to get his location.

"You sent a woman to take care of a problem. But she blew it" Leo explained, pun intended, while winking his eye at Liz reassuringly. And then he added "The agent who was after us took her out and almost escapes. But I cleaned the mess up. I swept off the agent and staged an accidental explosion."

"How did you know about that agent?" He asked with his most scary tone ever.

"How did I know?" Leo repeated as if that were the most stupid question ever. He was desperately trying to buy some time because he couldn't think of an answer. He and Liz exchanged a terrified look. Then he said attempting to sound offended "Sir, you hired me to help you covering your tracks. And I'm simply really good at my job". Liz shot him a freaked '_what-the-hell?_' look, not believing he had given such a lame non-explanation.

There was an awkward silence on the other side of the line, until the Russian finally spoke. "You took care of the evidence? Nothing connects the explosion to us?"

"No, sir. Nothing" He tried to sound cold and confident. But in fact he was terrified.

The Russian made another long pause to ponder the situation. It was strange. But he wanted to believe everything had been taken care off. "Well, I'm glad that's solved. Now go back to handle our CTU girl. You know what to do."

"Of course, Sir. I'll be back on that" They hung up. Then Leo told Elizabeth "We should go to the pay phone and call my contact in the FBI. The police records have to match the story I've just told this moron" And then they threw away the cell phone he had just used, in case it was being traced

**05.45 AM - Brooklyn – Leo's house**

Then they had no other choice except going to hide at Leo's house momentarily. Elizabeth had a big backpack with the essential equipment she needed, including a set of cheap cell phones. Leo had a big bag to carry everything he needed as well. They went to the basement, which was like a small bunker. Its door was hidden behind a closet in the master bedroom, was bullet proof and had an electronic coded lock. He also kept his weapons there. In addition, it had a desk to work, a couple of chairs and a couch. After arriving, she set her computer over the desk. Leo first went to the bathroom, and several minutes later joined his partner in the basement looking completely different. He had shaved his messy-looking beard and had cut his brown hair which used to be kept too long for a man. "Stockard, do you have the parking garage on satellite?"

Liz turned around to reply but was delightfully stunned by Leo's change. He looked much better that way. Although she knew that his former appearance had been part of his cover. She smiled, momentarily forgetting what she had been doing. Then getting her feet back on the ground, she replied "of course, Craig" He sat next to her to check out the computer screen. They were getting real-time images of the CTU security camera located near the exit.

"She must be desperate to leave after what she did to William. We have to catch her when she does" It hadn't taken much to figure out William Prady had been unsuccessful and that Dana had probably taken him out without being noticed. She was still working for CTU pretty much as if nothing had happened.

"We should just expose that bitch" Liz muttered angrily.

"We will. But for the moment I need to stay under and you need to stay dead. We sadly have a much bigger fish to fry." Actually, there were two fishes. And, boy, were they huge. But he was devastated about Bill too. So he held her for comfort. "It's what he wanted, what he said we should do in this situation" He ran his fingers through her hair noticing she had taken off her wig and her natural blond curls were absolutely beautiful.

"I know." Then she pulled away from the embrace blushing, for reasons she didn't realize. And then she forced herself to be professional again. "So, Tokarev thinks Walsh's hiding evidence against them as a life insurance?"

"Yes and so do I. She wouldn't have said she wants out if she didn't. We have to find out where she's hiding it. But she won't give it away... not even for immunity. It's the only thing keeping her alive and she knows it" His orders from Pavel were to wait for Dana to become unnecessary, steal the evidence from her and take her out.

"It can be our only evidence against the Russians, Craig" Liz pointed out, biting the nail of her thumb nervously.

"You hid a micro Mic in Logan's pin, and I did that thing you taught me so we could monitor Tokarev's phone calls"

"What if Tokarev switches phones often, like we do? Or what if Logan finds the hidden Mic? After all, that's how Bauer screwed with him last time" All the anxiety over what was going on was getting to her.

"Look, I was still working in Boston and there was a terrorist planning an attack with a car-bomb. Do you know how we caught him?" Leo said as he got up to make coffee for both of them. It felt as if they hadn't slept in ages.

"He missed a red light while heading to his target?" She tried to guess.

"He missed a red light while heading to his target" Leo confirmed while nodding. And then he added deadly serious "sometimes we can only count on two things… the bad guys' stupidity and our own good fortune"

"Meanwhile, we have to let her help those bastards kill Hassan?" Her tone said 'I-don't-fucking-think-so´. "We have to try to expose her, Craig."

"I know. But if they catch her, how will we get the evidence from her?"

"We'll figure it out. We can expose Walsh without giving our selves away. We could send what we have about her over to somebody from CTU, and let them figure out the rest."

"We don't know anybody there we can trust"

"Gee, Craig, if only you had a best friend you would trust with your life with connections to CTU" She said sarcastically, clearly talking about Renee.

"We are not dragging her into this, Stockard" Leo gave her a warning stare.

"You did that already" She complained, whining like a girl.

"And look how well that turned out!" He said sarcastically, but truly wanting to kick himself hard. He had thought making her worst enemy pay would be a great thing for Renee. How come it had gone so wrong? He sighed and then stated firmly "I don't want to get her involved. And I mean it, Stockard" He shot her another serious look.

**06:20:00 AM**

While Jack desperately looked for Omar Hassan, Renee had to escort the First Lady and First Daughter of Kamistan to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. She looked through the window, staying alert to any potential threat. Many people were walking down the street, heading to their jobs. She spotted a man in an expensive-looking business suit, walking fast and talking to his cell phone. For some reason, she thought of Jimmy. Then she saw a power-suited woman, with a cup of coffee and one donna on her hands, just too busy to share breakfast and spend some quality time with the people who mattered to her. That woman probably assumed there would be plenty of mornings ahead of her. Those people had no idea how close they had come to die in a nuclear blast. It was chilling.

Deep down, she believed Omar Hassan had made the right choice, the only one his heart could live with. She couldn't pretend she wasn't relieved that the bomb hadn't gone off. But Renee hated the bastards who had forced that brave man to decide between sacrificing himself and letting thousands of people die. She wished the situation had never gotten to that. Hassan was a strong and noble leader, who pursued fearlessly an honorable cause. And even though he surely desired to live for his cause and his family, he had resolved to die so others could live. They had cornered him. What he was going through was the perfect example of an injustice horrible on so many levels.

Renee sighed frustrated as the taxi drove through Times Square and shook her head '_God, I hate this city_'

**06:41:04 AM - Mc****Guire Air Force, New Jersey **

Renee stayed next to Kayla and Dalia until they met President Taylor. But she was actually feeling nervous and awkward about seeing her in person again for the first time since the Alan Wilson incident. The competent FBI agent Taylor had once known was now a pathetic woman, who had lost her mind, tortured one man, butchered another one and had tried to commit suicide at least three times. Once again Renee was feeling small and ashamed of herself. So when two marines opened the door for the President, she felt a lump on her throat and swallowed hard. Renee looked away trying not to tear up.

Allison headed quickly towards Dalia and Kayla and held the youngest woman's hand supportively as she stated candidly "I'm so relieved you're both safe."

"Thank you, Madam President. Do you know what is happening with my husband?" Dalia asked managing to keep her voice from breaking. She wanted to know, but she feared what the answer might be.

"We do. He is in the hands of the terrorists" Before the bad news could sink in, Allison rushed to add "but we're tracking him on satellite. We're going in to monitor the rescue effort. Do you want to join us?"

Kayla looked at her mother trying to figure out what was the right answer. It was bad enough knowing her father was in danger without having to watch as he got hurt. She wasn't sure if she could take it. Neither was Dalia. But the First Lady of Kamistan was determined to be stronger than she had ever been. "Yes."

Allison half-smiled kindheartedly. She was genuinely impressed by the way Dalia was stoically handling this awful situation. "All right. If you will, go on in the situation room, and I'll be there in a minute." Dalia thanked the president. Then she looked at the woman who had kept them safe for two hours and thanked her sincerely as well. Renee nodded sheepishly as a response. After that the Hassan women headed to the situation room.

Allison turned to look at the shy-looking redhead standing quietly on the back of the room. Those extremely sad eyes seemed to say '_I know I really don't belong here, but I wish I did _'. The president knew Renee had suffered a nervous breakdown and done terrible things. But underneath those moments of weakness, there was one smart and brave woman whose loyalty was undeniable. President Taylor had never forgotten the people who had saved her life and unmasked the traitors within her administration. She needed more than ever someone actually valuable like Renee Walker around. She addressed the former FBI agent honestly. "I didn't expect to see you again, Ms. Walker, but in these last few hours, I have learned how few people I can really trust. I am glad you're here."

Renee was extremely moved by those words. That approval coming from Allison Taylor, a perfect example of morality and strength, meant the world to her. The President was such an amazingly stubborn woman who had stoically stood up to terrorists, traitors, extortionists, genocides and even Jack Bauer, never losing her way. Renee felt about to cry, but miraculously she managed not to. However, when she spoke she did sound weaker than she had intended. "Thank you, Madam President. But I think I'd be of more use at CTU."

"Of course. Susan will arrange a car for you." Allison assured her pretty understandably.

"Thank you, ma'am." Renee replied still overwhelmed.

Then Allison gave her half-smile and shook the younger woman's hand firmly saying "Thank you."

Renee felt completely dazed, still having a hard time believing what had just happened. Who would have thought she would ever have the President's blessing again?

**06:56:00 AM**

Renee was in the back seat of the car the president's aide had provided for her when she got a call in her cell phone. The caller ID revealed it was '_Jack B'_. She took the call rather anxiously, hoping for good news. Jack said "Hey, it's me" with his agitated 'crisis voice'. Obviously something had gone wrong, automatically she asked him gravely "Have you got Hassan?" But she could guess the answer already.

"No. We set up our ambush. We were seconds away from taking him down, when out of nowhere, the driver deviated from his route. He managed to transfer Hassan to another vehicle before I could get to him." Jack explained as fast as humanly possible. Then he added the obvious conclusion "Someone inside CTU has got to be tipping them off."

Renee shook her head feeling frustrated. "How is that possible?" she asked more pissed than actually surprised.

Jack had no time to think about the 'how'; he had to fix the problem soon. "I don't know, but I've got the driver's cell phone. As soon as we can set up an uplink, I'll be able to figure out who it is."

"And you've got an ID on the driver?"

"Yeah, Tarin Farouh. But he's dead" He announced not truly caring. Tarin had killed himself for his cause. Those types of guys were lunatics who seldom, if ever, gave useful information anyway.

"Good" Renee spitted. She had already been informed about Tarin using poor Kayla as an asset for his evil plan. She sighed and focused back on Jack, deducing what he would need next. But she decided to ask anyway for confirmation. "Now I'm on my way to CTU. Do you want me to talk to Chloe?"

"Yeah, but no one else. Tell her we need a secure area to run the uplink. Get back to me as soon as you're ready."

"Okay." She whispered, wondering who the mole could be. Barely a minute after hanging up, she got a text message which just said _"It's her" _There was a file attached to it. She opened it. Her eyes widened like plates as she read the information and looked at the pictures. "Please, could you go faster?" she pleaded the driver, who accelerated in direction to CTU at full speed. Renee wasn't sure how relievable the information she had gotten was. She had no idea who had sent it to her. It had come from an unknown number, and from a cell phone that had now been turned off.

**07:0****4:00 AM- CTU NY – Headquarters**

After arriving at CTU, Renee practically jumped off the vehicle and rushed to the main entrance. Naturally, she was stopped by security, where they cleared her to reentry. But she had to leave her handgun because she wasn't officially a CTU field agent; therefore she wasn't allowed to carry any weapon inside the building. With no time to complain, she complied and walked quickly towards Chloe's work station, she spotted Jack's friend and told her as discretely as possible "Chloe, can I talk to you for a second?" Chloe noticed instantly something was not right and followed her worriedly. When they were out of anybody else's earshot, Renee turned around dryly and whispered "We've got a problem. Jack thinks that someone inside of CTU is working for the terrorists."

"Why does he think that?" Chloe rushed to ask, not wanting to believe it was happening again.

"They must've been warned that they were being followed. That's why they transferred Hassan to a different car." She explained hastily in a barely audible whisper.

"Yeah, that bothered me too." Chloe agreed. There had been too many strange failures for it to be just a coincidence. "And then there was a satellite glitch that happened earlier."

"What glitch?" Renee asked. Now she was almost sure the information she had gotten was correct.

"The glitch that allowed the terrorists to get away in the first place. It was a little too unlucky; especially for us."

Renee's face darkened. "Chloe, I think I know who did it", she stated as she handed the data analyst her cell phone. "Someone sent me anonymously some pictures and police records. A person who works here may not be who she claims to be"

"What? Someone infiltrated CTU with a false identity?" She shook her head in profound disbelief. That wasn't something a person could pull off easily. She saved the files from Renee's cell in a memory stick.

"I know. It's weird. But I need you to verify the data I got. Also, Jack recovered Tarin's cell phone from the crash. We can get the number from whoever called to tip him off."

"Where's Jack now?"

"On his way back to CTU. He wants you to call him on a proprietary line so he can upload the data. Meanwhile, I'll try to contact the person I think could have sent me that file"

"All right." Chloe agreed as she handed the cell phone back to Renee and then left to her work station to call Jack.

**At the same time…**

Dana had to get the hell out of the building as fast as possible. But because of the new security protocols she had to get authorization from Hastings to even get to her car. She was heading to Hastings's office and saw from the distance how Renee Walker and Chloe O'Brian were talking secretly on the opposite side of the bullpen. She couldn't hear a damn thing, but obviously those two weren't exchanging cookie recipes or gossiping about celebrities. Not even on a regular day, she could picture them just chitchatting like best buds. Then she saw Walker giving her cell phone to O'Brian, who copied some data from it. Dana shook her head; she had no time to spy on them. She had to get her clearance to exit CTU for good.

**07:06 AM**

After altering her security status to be allowed out, Dana headed towards the main entrance. But on the hallway, right in front one of the holding rooms, she saw Renee talking over her cell phone. Quietly, she approached from behind trying to eavesdrop without being noticed.

"Yes, I really need to contact him ASAP" Renee argued with someone on the other side of the line. She paused as she heard what they were telling her and then replied "Fine… I'll try calling William Prady then"

That stopped Dana right on her tracks. Renee hung up. Then, in one quick motion Dana cocked her gun and pressed it against the other woman's neck whispering in her ear "One sound out of your mouth and I put a bullet right in your spine… don't turn around. Slowly put your phone on the floor"

Renee left the cell phone in the floor and allowed Dana to take it. She realized Chloe already had the information, so the best thing to do would be trying to buy some time until they figure out Dana was the mole.

Dana remained closely behind her, pressing the muzzle of her gun against Renee's neck. One shot and Walker would be paralyzed at best. "Move" she ordered as she led Renee towards holding room two. "And shut up. Don't make me kill you" Indeed, the last thing Dana wanted was to kill Jack Bauer's girl, bringing his wrath upon herself. A mistake others had made before.

Dana was supposed to be done working for the Russians. She had told Pavel Tokarev she wanted out but he had threatened her. Then the man working for him had convinced her to call Renee Walker in, a woman who had messed up the mission. Now that same woman was trying to contact William Prady, allegedly the most persistent Parole officer in the world. She bought none of it. She had figured out what it all truly meant. Once they were inside, Dana clamped one hand around Renee's throat pushing her against the wall and keeping the muzzle of her gun pressed against her temple. "You fooled me with your pathetic psycho act. They sent you to screw the mission and then take me out when I became irrelevant."

"You called me.!" Renee reminded her wondering what the hell Dana was talking about. That woman was a lunatic talking crazy. She tried to think fast of a way to get gun from her.

Then Dana banged Renee's head hard against the wall, knocking her unconscious, and rushed to handcuff her. Then she lifted up and pushed her against the wall as well, slapping her a few times to awake her. "Listen to me, bitch. You tell our boss if something happens to me, even if it looks like an accident or suicide, somebody will get a very interesting letter with an even more interesting video file"

"Okay" Renee nodded in confusion, not bothering to point out she had no idea who the hell that boss was. She just had to go along with her to buy time. "But he'll want some proof that you're not bluffing"

"If he kills me, he'll see all the proof he wants on national TV. And if you try hunting me down after I'm gone, I'll take you down. It'll look like suicide." Staring at Renee's arm, Dana asked maliciously "Think anybody would doubt it?" Then she stuck the muzzle of the gun on Renee's mouth to make her point. "I want you, your partner and our boss off my back for good after I'm gone. In exchange, you get to keep breathing. So, do we have a deal?"

Renee nodded along even though she had no idea who the people she was referring to were.

Dana was satisfied. She lowered the gun she held with her right hand and aimed it at Renee's chest. Renee angrily spited at her on the face. Dana looked disgusted and moved her left hand as if she were about to clean up the spit. But instead she snatched Renee into a sleeper hold.

**07:1****5:54 AM**

Jack arrived to CTU and got instantly alarmed by the sight before his eyes. It looked like there had been a shooting in the parking garage, nearby the front security station. There were people taking care of wounded security agents and other who were moving two bodies. He also noticed a team searching for evidence inside a car that had crashed against a column. He quickly left his vehicle and practically ran to the main entrance. Then he walked into the bullpen and saw Chloe looking over some files appearing distraught. "What's happening?" he asked concerned.

"Dana Walsh, the data analyst, was working for the terrorist. I checked the phone data you sent over. She called Tarin" Chloe explained. Then she awkwardly showed him Jenny Scott's criminal records displayed on the computer monitor "That's Dana's real identity. Somebody sent Renee these files about fifteen minutes ago."

He found that strange, and it made him suddenly anxious "Where's Renee now?"

"In medical. But just as a precaution, Jack." Predictably, before Chloe could even finish that sentence Jack began walking at full speed towards the clinic with a mixture of anger and fear.

He soon saw her emerging from the clinic and walking down the corridor. She looked overall fine, except that she kept a hand over her own neck with a troubled expression on her face. "Renee, are you okay?" he asked as he rushed to hold her.

She held him back tightly. But then Renee felt like a very idiotic damsel again. She broke the embrace and began making her way to the interrogation room where they kept Dana. "I'm fine, Jack"

As they both walked together, he asked "what happened?"

"She thought I was a threat for her so she knocked me down to escape." She muttered still confused about that. She was not able to make sense of anything Dana had said.

His expression darkened instantly. He stopped dryly and physically forced to stop. "Why did you get on her way? She could have killed you!" Jack practically snapped harshly as if it had all been Renee's fault, without thinking clearly. The situation was just too damn familiar. But he took a deep breath to calm down and keep perspective. He wanted to find the right words to apologize to her.

But he didn't have to. Renee realized his outburst had been really about his fear of watching history repeating it self. She took his hand and simply assured him "I'm okay"

"Really?" Jack caressed her cheek gently trying to read her eyes. He then noticed her neck had a minor scratch. He touched it gently with his finger.

"It's nothing. The necklace must have caused it when she…" She was about to tell him Dana had practically grabbed her by the neck. But she wisely decided not to. "Never mind. I'm fine. I'm just upset because I can't find my necklace" Then she shook her head feeling like an idiot for even caring about that at all when they had an actual crisis to solve. "Forget it. Look, she's a crazy traitor… I'm not sure she'll cooperate with us, Jack"

Then they got into the observation room, with a monitor which showed Dana sitting inside the interrogation room, ready to be questioned. "What has she said so far?"

"That's the thing. She's not saying anything until she talks to you." She folded her arms across her chest, annoyed. She had more than a few questions for Dana, but that bitch had requested to speak only with Jack.

"Me? Why?" Jack asked defensively. What could that woman possibly want from him?

"She won't say." Renee explained clearly unhappy about it, but resigned.

At that moment, Brian Hastings entered the room asking promptly "Jack, are you up to speed?"

"Yeah." Jack replied.

"I just spoke with Agent Ortiz. You know he was her fiancé?" Hastings was absolutely outraged and confused. Did that mean two of his best agents were actually corrupted?

"Well, that would explain a few things." Jack admitted calmly, but avoiding giving a direct answer. He didn't think it mattered anyway. Regardless of how close Cole and Dana were on a personal level, he was absolutely innocent. He was just sad for the younger man.

"He doesn't know much... only that she had some kind of criminal past, and altered her identity to infiltrate CTU." Hastings stated trying to hide his embarrassment, and then added "Not an easy task."

"Well, she obviously had help from someone." Jack pointed out worriedly. Who could have the kind of resources to pull that off?

"However she did this, we need to find out." Hastings stated with clear urgency on his voice.

"You think Cole's clean?" Renee asked obviously with serious doubts about it. A mysterious man had appeared on those pictures she had gotten, helping Dana get rid of two bodies. But that man wasn't clearly visible. Although, it seemed only logical to assume Cole knew his own fiancé well and was indeed behind her.

"I think he's telling the truth, but after this, I'm not sure I trust my own opinion. I thought I knew Dana Walsh." Hastings admitted full of anger, feeling stupid. How could Dana have fooled everybody so well?

"Cole's clean." Jack affirmed calmly but leaving little room for doubt.

Renee stared at him worriedly with her arms folded in front of her chest. Why was he so sure of that? Jack kept looking somberly at Dana's image on the screen. Then Renee could see it clearly in his eyes. It was as if she could read his mind. He was watching at Dana, but seeing somebody else at the very same time.

"Why does she want to talk to you, Jack?" Hastings asked intrigued.

"Don't know. Just met her today" Jack was truthfully as confused as everybody else about Dana's request. He took off his jacket getting ready for what was obviously next. "But I think we should find out, don't you?" He then headed towards the interrogation room itself and ordered the guard to stand down. After that he handed his gun to Hastings and stated deadly serious, for his ears only "Just so we're clear, as far as I'm concerned, I kept up my end of our deal. The nuclear rods were recovered. The only reason why I'm still here is because I gave President Taylor my word that I would protect President Hassan."

"I know." Hastings replied sincerely.

"Okay, thank you." Jack was extremely relieved to confirm that Renee was officially off the hook. Once solved the situation with Hassan, they would be able to go home together. The past sixteen hours had only reminded him all the reasons he had to stay away from CTU.

Dana Walsh considered herself incredibly good as a data analyst and as a spy. Unlike Hastings, who was a moron, she had spent a lot of time studying old files of past CTU missions to learn from other's mistakes, to learn what had worked and what hadn't. Yet, she had made her share of mistakes. For instance, she should have killed Nick and Kevin coldly the second they intruded in her life. Instead, she had tried to get rid of them gently for the sake of all the love she and Kevin had shared in the past. Moreover, she should have realized sooner Renee was working for the Russians too. But she was done making errors. Even though she had to keep the involvement of the Russians a secret for her own protection, she had already figured out a way to use Jack Bauer to get away with everything without revealing the whole truth.

When the door of the interrogation room was opened, Dana looked at Jack sheepishly, feeling intimidated by him and hating herself for it. But the truth was the she did fear him. She knew what he normally did to people like her. However, she noticed he was indeed nervous. After giving her one hateful look, he looked away and began pressing his fit a few times as if he were squashing an invisible ball to release the stress.

Just looking at her made his blood boil. People like Dana Walsh always brought up the worst of him. But he couldn't afford to lose control. He walked around her, maintaining a prudent distance and trying to figure out what she could possibly want from him. "They said I was the only one you wanted to talk to. Why?"

Naturally, that egomaniac wanted to start their conversation by talking about himself. Dana told him what he wanted to hear "You're the only one here who doesn't have his head up his ass." Quite predictably, he clucked looking down. It seemed like he couldn't agree more with that but was trying not to show it. It disgusted her having to feed his already massive ego but she had to do it, in order to get immunity. Rapidly she moved on to what truly mattered. "So let's not waste any time. You want President Hassan, I can get him for you. I know where they're taking him. I know what they're planning to do."

"What do you want?" He hated this part. With President Hassan's life at stake Dana would get anything she wanted, and that bitch was too aware of that fact.

"You know the drill. Full immunity, clean record. And I want to be compensated."

"Compensated?" He was surprised. That surpassed the level of shamelessness even he usually witnessed.

"When you get these IRK agents, you're gonna get your hands on their cash. I want my share." She demanded. Bauer stared at her as if she were crazy. But she couldn't care less. She needed all the money she could get to disappear for good in a way the Russians could never find her. She then stated what was obvious to her "I lost a lot of money when this deal went south."

"You're telling me all of this is about money?" Jack asked with genuine confusion and disbelief.

"Isn't it always?" She asked back condescendingly.

"_You're worse than a traitor, Nina. You don't even have a cause you don't believe in anything. You would sell anyone and anything out to the highest bidder"._ As the memory of those words he had once said popped in his head, Jack stared at Dana disgusted. Of course, he wasn't going to believe her. "If I'm going to take this to the president, I need proof that you know something worthwhile."

Dana knew that given the urgency of the situation, it truly didn't matter whether she gave any proof or not. It was either granting her what she wanted or letting Hassan die. She pointed out acidly "Well, in about a half an hour, you will have all the proof you need... Hassan's head"

"You little bitch." Jack hissed deeply outraged. He launched against her, and dragged her up against the wall grabbing her by the neck. That bitch had better cards and knew the game far too well. That was driving him insane. "Let me explain something to you. The only reason you've got any leverage right now is because President Hassan is alive. So stop screwing with me!"

In the observatory room, while Hastings cursed helplessly, Renee was enjoying inappropriately what Jack was doing and even smiled a little feeling proud of him.

But as violent as Bauer got, Dana still had the power of being the one with valuable information. She angrily reminded him what was at stake. "They are going to force him to make a statement, and then they're going to kill him, live over the Internet. So I suggest we stop haggling and you start making this happen."

Jack had to let her go, feeling so frustrated. "Fine. I'll take this to the president. But you better understand that if we don't recover President Hassan alive... you get nothing. Nothing."

Dana already knew that much. If Hassan died she was so screwed. She couldn't possibly use the information she had about the Russian conspiracy without risking getting taken out. What if they killed her sister and niece for retaliation? If she left the Russians out of it, she had a much better chance of surviving. She definitely needed Hassan alive. As Bauer walked away from her, she stated with a not-so-soon tone "It's why I asked for you, Mr. Bauer. It's part of the deal. You're going to handle this operation. Hassan is heavily protected. I need someone with your experience running the show."

Renee shook her head and sighed resignedly thinking that would so not help Jack's messiah complex.

"There's been enough screw-ups for one day… don't you think?" Dana asked rhetorically and full of arrogance.

Jack had to agree with the damn bitch on that. He kept wondering who was actually behind her. "Earlier, you said you lost a lot of money because the deal went bad. Who was supposed to pay you?"

That was exactly what she couldn't say. But Bauer would feel so stupid if the truth about his girlfriend came up. It almost made her want to spit what she knew about Renee right to his face. But she couldn't take that risk. And she had another way to sting him anyway. With hate and anger in her eyes she told him "Tick-tock, Mr. Bauer. You're running out of time."

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

**(please, all reviews are always greatly appreciated) **


	12. It's the end of the world as we know it

_Author's note: _You are all incredibly nice! The reviews I get truly make my day. Please, keep them coming! It's extremely challenging to combine the canon of the show with my AU. All opinions and suggestions are truly appreciated.

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Hassan trades himself for the dirty bomb and CTU has to rescue him before his captors kill him. Renee gets anonymously information about Dana being Jenny Scott. Dana is sure Renee is another Russian spy sent to kill her. She holds her hostage but doesn't kill her because she wants her to deliver a message to the Russians. After she gets caught, Dana says she'll give the necessary information to recue Hassan alive in exchange for immunity, as long as Jack does the rescuing. She doesn't expose the Russians because they would kill her if she did. Jack had a rough time as he notices Dana's similarities with Nina.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 12:**

**IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT**

**January 21****st**** 2017 **

**White House – Washington DC**

"_I'm about to take this nation to war and grief is a luxury I can't afford right now"_ Allison Taylor recalled saying those words just three months after her son was murdered. And indeed, ever since Roger was killed she had buried herself fully in her presidential duties as a way to avoid stopping for a second and feel the pain. Then, after she had to send her daughter Livy to jail and Henry divorced her, her job became all she had left. Her life was only about being the president and serving her nation, fulfilling her duty. But on the first anniversary of Roger's death, she decided the country and the world could go on without her… just for a night.

She left the Oval Office and headed to the residence. But she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She never felt tired anymore. She walked into the residence's living room and picked a scrapbook from her bookcase. She also took a bottle of Vodka and a glass. She never drank alcohol. But that was supposed to be the best Vodka in the entire world. So she settled herself in the couch as she began watching the old family photos. Her favorite was a picture taken ages ago, during Livy's sweet sixteen. Livy was wearing a beautiful long blue dress. She was behind her, hugging Henry. And Roger was standing next to his little sister, looking hansom.

Then she looked at another picture of the four of them, taken during the campaign while they were on the bus. Henry was hugging his daughter tightly while Allison was laughing at some hilarious joke Roger had made right before the shot, which had distracted her from actually posing. After staring at that picture, she spotted another old one of herself kissing her husband on the lips. She and Henry used to be so much in love.

Eventually, she saw a picture of her and Roger posing in front of a Christmas tree. It had been taken during her son's last Christmas, one month before her inauguration. She closed her eyes as tears rolled from her eyes.

"_Merry Christmas, mom!" Roger said with a huge smile as he hugged his mom tightly._

"_Merry Christmas!" Allison hugged him back, and then chastised him playfully "you are late. You always need Sam to remind you of the time?" _

"_You know me" Roger shrugged dismissively with a smile. "So, where's dad?"_

"_Over the studio, taking a call from Olivia" Allison replied with a hint of sadness._

"_She's still not talking to you?" Roger was getting truly fed up of his sister's attitude._

"_Does telling me to put your father on the phone count?" She asked back miserably. _

_Roger felt truly bad for his mother. "Mom, you did the right thing firing her from the campaign, if you had caught any other employee leaking that kind of information to the press…"_

"_But she's my daughter." Allison tried to protest weakly._

"_So she should have known better." Roger insisted full of conviction. "You didn't raise us to pull political stunts like that and then come up with the 'everybody-else-does-it' excuse of a six grader. Let me tell you something, mom… I don't give a damn how things are done in Washington. I like it that you are above that. You are not like any other politician. You will always take the high road. If she doesn't like that, then she shouldn't work for you" _

_Allison stared at her son speechless for a moment, she was absolutely amazed. She couldn't believe that young man was the same little boy who used to cry whenever she left his side. She was overwhelmed to notice how much time had passed by but also proud of the son she had raised. "When… when did you become an adult?"_

_Roger giggled. Then he shrugged again and joked "After your senate campaign. Didn't you get the memo?" _

"Madam President? You wanted to see me?"

That very familiar voice dragged Allison away from her memories and back to the present. She stood up quickly from the couch, only to realize she felt terribly dizzy, with nauseas and the thoughts in her mind were kind of foggy. Before she could fall down Ethan held her promptly. "Thank you" she mumbled. "Yeah, I wanted to see you"

Ethan looked at her feeling genuinely concerned. He noticed the half-empty bottle of Vodka. Allison never ever drank. She had to be awfully depressed. "If you need to lie down…"

"Nonsense, I'm fine. I had to talk to you…" For a moment, it looked at him not remembering about what she needed to talk to him. But then it came back to her. "About your trip to Moscow"

Ethan knew this had to be a terrible day for her. And the fact that Henry had ignored her that morning, after the memorial service, surely made everything even worse. No wonder she had gotten drunk. But it was clear that she had to go to bed. "We can talk about that tomorrow, Madam President"

Allison shook her head stubbornly. "You leave tomorrow"

"My plane doesn't leave until noon" He gently reminded her and then suggested "You should get some sleep"

"Okay" Allison agreed reluctantly. "But you bring the Russians back to the negotiation table"

"I will, Madam President" Ethan promised as he escorted his friend to her bedroom since she could hardly walk.

The Secret Service agents had watched everything attentively. But they weren't there to stop a grown woman from drinking and then spending the night with a friend if she wanted to.

"I lost my entire family over all this" She said disgustingly looking around, clearly talking about being the President. And then she added "I have to make this worthwhile"

It was something she would have never soberly confessed, not even to him. But Ethan had already noticed that was the main reason why she was obsessing so much over the peace agreement. He remained in silence, but deeply worried as they reached the doorway of her bedroom. He would never dare walk in. He stepped back awkwardly, and truly battling to keep a serious and professional demeanor he said "good night, Madam President"

Allison was even sadder all the sudden, which she didn't think was still possible. She needed at least one person to act around her like she was a regular woman, not the president. Everybody was so distant and cold. She locked eyes with Ethan. She absolutely adored those light blue eyes. Before he could go away, she caressed his cheek and then, to his immense astonishment, she brushed softly her lips against his.

He kissed her back for a moment. It was something he had wanted to do for such a long time. There was a line he had never dared to cross with Allison. Before, because she had chosen somebody else. Now she was divorced but she was the president, plus she was at the moment drunk and lonely. He couldn't take advantage of that. He had to be a good an honorable friend. He reluctantly pulled away. "We'll talk tomorrow, Madam President"

Allison nodded disappointed. She was drunk, but not too drunk to understand his reasons to reject her as a woman. He began walking away, she called out "Ethan, wait…" He turned around looking at her puzzled. And she pointed out nonchalantly "it's after midnight… it's already tomorrow. I'll see you later"

Ethan smiled. "You are right. I'll see you later… Allison" He whispered softly her first name, which indeed he adored but couldn't use out of respect. However, he said it to remind her that they would always be friends, even if sadly they couldn't be more.

She smiled a little when he whispered her first name. Watching him leave was suddenly less painful. She understood he was her friend. That wasn't bad at all. She needed a friend.

**May 21****st**** 2018 **

**07:18 AM Manhattan, NYC - CTU headquarters**

Jack stepped out the interrogation room anxious to get away from Dana Walsh and her poison. As sure as hell, she wasn't telling the entire story. Not that he was unfamiliar with people who just sold them selves for cash. It was always about money for people like her. But it really bugged him not knowing who had been sponsoring her. Who had successfully created a new identity for her? It hardly seemed like the job of the IRK terrorists holding Hassan hostage. He instantly asked "So, what do the biometrics say?"

"Autonomics are stable. No deception." A technician responded rapidly.

"I wouldn't put much faith in those readings. She's a sociopath. She cannot be trusted." Renee pointed out extremely pissed off, with her arms folded tightly in front of her chest. Why did that woman had to force Jack into running the operation?

"Renee's right... this isn't just about the money for her. She's hiding something. But given the time frame that we have, we need to follow through with this." Jack reluctantly admitted, sadly not seeing another way.

"How do you want to play it?" Hastings asked truly echoing the thought in Renee's mind.

"We need to call the president." He stated, clearly not looking forward to that particular conversation. He knew the president well enough by now to anticipate how she would feel. "Renee, may I talk to you?" She nodded and followed him until they were in a nearby holding room where they could talk alone. He closed the door behind them. His anger and frustration were palpable. "Dana Walsh will get what she wants. There is no other choice"

"I know" Renee whispered softly full of understanding.

"Before I talk to President Taylor, I need to know exactly what you know about all this"

"You already do" Renee assured him firmly. Why was Jack thinking she knew something about this he didn't?

"So, she didn't tell you anything while she…" But he couldn't say what was next. He wished he could ignore it. It had been the second time in less than twelve hours that some lunatic had held Renee at gunpoint. He wanted to pretend that had never happened, but couldn't. Still the words refused to leave his mouth.

She could tell what he meant anyway. She replied awkwardly "nothing that matters"

"What did she say?" Jack insisted firmly. He needed all the facts as irrelevant as Renee might consider them.

"She's crazy, Jack." She stated dismissively. However, Jack's look told her not to waste his time. Feeling more uncomfortable than ever, she admitted reluctantly "She... she thinks I'm... dirty"

Jack's face darkened instantly, outraged by such suggestion. He practically spited "Why?"

"I don't know" Renee shrugged puzzled. "That's what I could gather from what she said. She thinks I'm working for the same people she is. She mentioned a video incriminating them and said she would let me live if I kept them off her back. Jack... I don't think she's working for the IRK coup leaders."

He kept his piercing light greenish eyes on hers while she spoke. It all seemed so strange. But he had to agree with Renee on that. "Yeah, I don't think those are the guys behind her either" Jack felt so helpless; there was no way to find out the entire truth soon enough.

"Jack, I'm sorry. But I don't know anything else. You have to make that phone call"

"Yeah" He exhaled unhappily while looking down and away. Then he headed to the door to leave.

"Jack" She called after him with a small hint of urgency in her tone. He turned around to face her with an inquiring look. Renee felt awkward again. But after a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to just ask, as much as his possible answer scared her "You... you trust me, don't you?"

He got closer to her and took her hand. His eyes locked with hers, as he solemnly stated "I trust you". Then he caressed her cheek. Truth be told, the fingers on one of his hands were plenty to count the people he could trust. After what happened with Nina, he had been operating under the trust-no-one rule. But eventually he had to cave in and trust at least some selected few, like David, Michelle and Bill, who were dead, and Tony, who was absolutely dead to him. Now Renee was definitely one person he trusted blindly. "I know it's so hard for me to trust people. But you... I trust you with my life, okay?"

Renee let out a sigh of immense relief. After that, they headed quickly to Hastings office. As soon as they walked in, Hastings said over the phone "Here he is, Madam." Then he handed Jack the phone.

Predictably, as soon as he took the phone and greeted her, Allison wasted no time going straight to the point using her signature presidential tone. "Jack, I've been informed of the situation. Please, tell me there is a way to get Hassan alive _without_ negotiating with Dana Walsh"

"I'm afraid there isn't, Madam" Jack said sincerely sorry that there wasn't another way.

Allison looked at Tim Woods and shook her head sadly. The Secretary of Homeland Security understood what that meant and left to prepare the immunity agreement with the lawyers. The President then asked Jack "Do you know who'll be in charge of the rescue operation?"

"In fact, that will be me" As soon as he said that he could hear a sigh of relief from President Taylor.

"I can't thank you enough, Jack" Allison stated candidly. It was a bit awkward to require the services of somebody who didn't even work for her. But there was nobody she trusted more with this operation.

**07:32:22**** - McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey**

While she headed to the base's hospital to see Ethan, Allison went through the immunity deal with Tim walking by her side. She still couldn't believe that list of demands: federal immunity, a clean record, government protection from the IRK, that Jack led the rescue operation, and compensation from money lost because of her cover being blown. '_Why doesn't she ask for castle in England while she's at it?_' The president thought to herself outraged. With some cautious optimism, she told Tim "This immunity agreement's made out to 'Dana Walsh'. But it's my understanding that's not her real name."

"The lawyers are aware of that, ma'am. They say the agreement will hold." Tim informed.

Allison got distracted for a moment watching Ethan through the glass door of his hospital room. He appeared lost in some peaceful dream. Luckily, he was now recovering from his heart attack. But she had nearly lost him. Those moments had been terrifying. What if he hadn't survived? She strongly refused to think of that. Instead, she gave her attention back to Tim. "Too bad. I thought for a moment there we had a way out." She admitted as she signed the papers and handed them to Tim, who said he'd get them to CTU right away. After thanking Tim, the president entered Ethan's room cautiously and approached his bedside.

Ethan wasn't actually asleep, just resting his eyes. So he could hear the clear sound of somebody walking with high heels into the room and towards him. It could be only one person. He opened his eyes and exchanged a warm friendly smile with her as she softly whispered his name. Then he assured solemnly "Still here, Madam President". At that point, Allison's smile could have lightened up the entire city. He smiled back. He loved it when her smile reached her eyes. That hadn't occurred in what seemed like ages.

She caressed sweetly his cheek as she asked "Are you going to be all right?" Then she sat on the side of his bed.

"I'll let my doctors fill that one. They're running tests."

"Good." She was glad he was being well taken care of, as she had ordered.

"Madam President, what's the situation with Hassan? Is he safe?" He asked concerned, going back to business.

Allison was forced to break the bad news. "They have him, Ethan. The IRK agents have Hassan."

"Oh, dear God." He groaned horrified. "They're going to kill him." He then whispered with his voice barely audible. He hated making that statement out loud, especially in front of Allison, who would not take it well at all

"Not if CTU can get there in time." She quickly said with a very firm tone. She needed to stay optimist. And then she explained "There's a rescue operation underway."

"They know where he is?" Ethan didn't hide his surprise. That seemed too good to be true.

"They will shortly. The terrorists had someone working for them inside CTU an analyst named Dana Walsh. I've agreed to a conditional immunity deal in exchange for her cooperation."

He raised his eyebrow. Allison seemed sad, yet hopeful. "Conditional on what?"

"Omar Hassan's safe return." Both old friends remained in a moment of tense silence. They were both aware of the gravity of the situation. Allison could no longer stay on denial. "Ethan... there's a real possibility Hassan won't survive this I hate to even think about it, but we have to be prepared. Is there any chance that the person who succeeds Hassan will be someone we can deal with?"

Ethan wished he could tell her what she obviously wanted to hear. But sadly, his job was to tell her the truth, as much as it hurt her. "The IRK constitution is vague when it comes to succession of power. There's no telling who'd take his place. Besides, Hassan barely was able form a consensus in his own administration. It took a man of his charisma and passion to achieve that." Allison looked down clearly disappointed. He felt so bad for her. "I'm sorry to be so negative, Madam President, but we have to be realistic. Without Hassan, there can be no peace".

Allison sighed and shook her head feeling truly crushed. She was trying to stay strong, but this was simply so much more than she could accept. She concluded painfully "everything will be in vain"

Ethan's heart ached for her as she said those five words. Only he knew what the peace agreement truly meant for her. It was not only something she had dreamt about during her entire career, it also would be an achievement that would validate all her life decisions and make all her loses and sacrifices somewhat worthwhile. He couldn't help himself and cautiously reached for her hand. "Allison, you have made all the right choices."

She was barely able to hold back her tears. She knew he had not talked about the accords right then. She looked away lost in thoughts for a moment. Then she squeezed gently his hand and asked "Would you pray with me, Ethan? Let's pray for Omar Hassan."

He nodded in agreement and linked hands with his dear friend. Ethan wasn't even sure if he believed in God like Allison did. But he prayed anyway. He prayed for Hassan's safe return. But just in case that didn't happen, he also prayed for Allison to remain strong enough to face the harsh disappointment that would represent for her the end of the peace negotiations.

**07:34:30**** - Manhattan, NYC. CTU NY headquarters**

Dana Walsh was in a real pickle. If Hassan died, there was no way for her to win. She could keep the evidence about the Russians and go to jail, or reveal everything in exchange for another immunity deal, risking getting killed. Either way, she would be screwed. She was forced to cooperate. At least, she had an ace under her sleeve to prevent Renee from messing with her. As the guards escorted her from the interrogation room to the conference area, she passed by Walker. Dana was tied with handcuffs, but she could reach into her pocket and hold between her fingers what she had been hiding. "Agent Walker" she called out mockingly. When Renee turned around to look, Dana smirked arrogantly while showing what she had in her hands. "I think you need this"

Renee saw that woman holding the necklace with the silver heart, one of her most precious possessions and got furious. But obviously she couldn't afford to lose control. After all, she was trying to prove Jack she was no longer unstable. Clenching her teeth, she simply ripped it off her hands.

Taking advantage of Renee's proximity, Dana whispered to her ears only "if I go down, I'm taking you with me"

Renee could do nothing but stare absolutely puzzled while Dana was escorted into the conference room, where the briefing would take place. What the hell had that been all about? Dana had to be plainly insane.

"What was that about?" Jack asked Renee with concern. He had only seen what happened from the distance.

"She had my necklace" Renee replied showing it to Jack, who gently helped her to put it around her neck. Renee shook her head. "She's crazy. We can't trust her"

"I know that" Jack stated reassuringly. Then he sighed frustrated. "But we need her cooperation to find Hassan. It's the only way to find him alive. She must be just toying with us. Those people enjoy that. Don't let her get to you"

Moments later, Dana was in the conference room, giving the others all the information she had promised to give. Naturally, Chloe O'Brian was staring at her awkwardly. _Gee, is that woman ever not awkward?_ Renee Walker unsurprisingly was shooting angry darts with her eyes. _Is that supposed to be threatening or judgmental?_ Dana wondered trying to act unaffected. When a picture of the man who had kidnapped Omar Hassan appeared on the screen, she explained "His name is Samir Mehran. Before the IRK planted him here, he was a soldier with the Revolutionary Guard. Altogether, he has about six men left." Then she addressed Bauer trying to sound nonchalant "You killed the rest." It truly stung her to admit how damn efficient Jack was.

Jack remained impassive. Actually, Renee had killed at least three of Samir's men. Yet, they couldn't waste time on technicalities. Instead, he focused on a 3-D schematic of an old apartment building which appeared rotating on the screen. Not trusting Dana at all, he questioned "You're absolutely sure that's where they're holding Hassan?"

"Yes. The entrance to the tenement is on Holland Avenue with exits to the rear and east side. He'll have at least a couple lookouts stationed." Dana replied truthfully.

"What's the apartment number?"Jack made the jackpot question.

"I don't know." It actually bummed Dana not knowing that.

"What's the apartment number?" Jack instantly repeated, not believing her for a second.

"If I knew, I would tell you. Somewhere above the first floor" Dana assured somewhat pissed. Bauer seemed not to realize how Hassan's survival would benefit her as well.

"What makes you say that?" Renee inquired challengingly, talking during the meeting for the first time.

Then both women stared at each other hatefully but for very different reasons. Dana felt annoyed and kind of threatened by the mere sight of Renee. She replied to her condescendingly "Because the building is populated. Some families. Samir will want to use them as human shields in the event of a frontal attack."

Once Jack was satisfied with the Intel, he softly whispered at Renee "We got what we need." And then he told Hastings "We have to move."

Renee couldn't walk away from that room fast enough.

**07: 44**** AM- ****McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey**

After being given an update on the operation's latest developments, Allison met the First Lady and First Daughter of Kamistan. She held Kayla's hand, instinctively feeling protective towards the distressed young lady.

"I was told you found my husband." Dalia couldn't help feeling optimistic; the Americans could bring her husband back. Her marriage with Omar had been extremely complicated for years. But in the past few hours she had realized how much she still loved him. She was willing to forgive his mistake with that slutty journalist. There was so much she still had to tell him. If only he could live.

"He's being held in an apartment building. CTU is preparing to go in after him." That was the only good news Allison could give them. She trusted CTU, particularly now that Jack Bauer was running things over there.

"Do they know if he's still alive?" Kayla asked, trying to be as tough as she had been raised to be. In a world where women were expected to be frail and dependant on men she had been taught to be the exact opposite.

"We believe that he is, but we can't be sure." Allison actually thought Omar Hassan had to be alive because they wouldn't have killed him without making a big show out of it first. But she simply told them the most honest thing she could say. "We have our best men in the field and they're going to do everything they can to save your husband's life."

"But you cannot guarantee he will be saved." It pained Dalia deeply saying those words. But she had to face the facts, as horrible as they were.

"I'm afraid not. But I assure you, we're going to do everything we can." Allison made candidly the only promise she could make. Dalia thanked her politely. Then Tim Woods interrupted discretely to say the president was needed in the situation room, which was never a good sign. Allison however tried not to look too alarmed for the other women's sake. "We'll know something very soon." That much at least was true. But she didn't add it was probably bad news. Instead, she caressed Kayla's cheek feeling sorry for the young woman and then followed Tim.

While he walked next to President Taylor, Tim explained "NSA just red-flagged a live feed going out on the Internet. It's President Hassan."

Allison knew now the clock was really ticking for Omar Hassan. He wouldn't be alive for much longer. The crazy terrorists were starting their insane live show entitled '_this person is a traitorous asshole, but watch how awesome we are as we murder such a horrible human being_'. She had been forced to star such a show merely a year before, so had Secretary James Heller a few years before her. The President then looked sadly at Dalia and Kayla tearfully hugging as the door of the situation room got closed. After that, she ordered the feed to be put up on the big screen.

An image of President Omar Hassan, looking truly battered and disheveled, popped promptly on the screen. He was sitting silently on a chair in front of the IRK flag. Apparently he had been tortured and drugged. Allison had to look away horrified for a moment. How dared they do that to such a great man? Then she made herself strong enough to watch what followed and got closer to the screen. She sighed sadly when a man in a black mask appeared behind Hassan. Those vicious cowards almost always wore masks.

The masked man began with the usual ranting: _"President Hassan is a traitor to his country. __His belief that we must capitulate to the infidels__ nearly condemned our people to a life of subjugation. What follows is a list of his crimes. You will see that he deserves the harshest punishment."_

**07:46:32**** AM – Bronx, NYC – Samir's hideout**

The CTU vehicles arrived at the staging area. They parked in a narrow alley near the building Samir used as hideout. Jack got out the car and took a call from Hastings. "Jack, we've got a good fix on Hassan's location. We think he's in an east facing apartment on the fourth floor. We also confirm two look-outs on the roof, both armed. North and south corner." Hastings provided the information they had just gotten from their satellites and from the lighting in the video. Then he added "You need to hurry, Jack. The terrorist is running a live Internet feed. He's reading a list of Hassan's so-called crimes. As soon as he's done, he's going to execute him."

Nothing estrange for Jack. He had dealt before with terrorists who wanted to kill somebody with the entire world watching through internet. As long as Samir kept rambling on, Hassan would remain alive. They had to get to him shortly though. "We're at the staging area; I'll let you know as soon as we're moving in." He told Hastings.

Then he turned around to face the rest of the team. He put Cole and his guys in charge of taking down the lookouts and covering the perimeter. Next he recruited agents Charters and Bank to join the assault team and locate the right apartment using audio surveillance. Once the particular tasks were handed, he proceeded to give vital instruction that went for everybody "I want all of you to silence your weapons. The only way this operation works is if we take these terrorists by surprise. If they get a sense that we're moving in on them, President Hassan is dead. I don't have to tell you what we're up against, and the significance of this operation. Trust your training and let's get this done. Check your comms, we'll meet at the rally points in two minutes."

Renee missed being the woman who gave speeches like that while people carefully paid attention. However, she was sort of enjoying watching Jack in command. And she felt extremely improper finding that sexy. What was it with her and authority figures anyway?

Jack only had one instruction left to give. But it was one of extreme importance for him, so was the person who would receive it. "Renee, I need to talk to you." He said in a commanding voice. He walked away as she followed him. He felt so awkward. As the agent running such an important rescue operation, he had to assign her the task that best suited her abilities. But that meant putting her in peril. So he was absolutely torn between his desire to keep her safe and his reluctance to waste her skills when he needed them the most. When they were face to face, and out of everybody else's earshot, he explained with a soft whisper "I want you with me on the assault team."

"I thought you wanted me running ops." Renee said surprised that he had changed his mind. Earlier he had told her she would run ops. She had agreed reluctantly and not without pointing out she was up for a bigger duty.

"In order for this to work, I need every agent with experience I can get." He explained, and instantly noticed her features softening. She looked flattered. Yet, he felt the urgency to highlight how much he needed her to take care of herself. So he instantly added "But you need to understand this goes against every instinct I have. So you need to promise me that you'll stay right behind me and you'll do exactly as I say."

"Okay." She whispered as she nodded overwhelmed with emotion. His concern for her truly moved her in so many ways. And his soft velvety voice made it impossible for her to do anything but agree with him.

"No, I need you to promise me." He persisted worried that she hadn't meant that 'okay'.

"I promise." She assured him, this time speaking more firmly. He walked away seemingly content by her promise. She watched him leave and felt terrified. He seemed to care so much about her. '_Jack thinks he's_ _cursed_ _If I were you, I'd do my best to prove him wrong._' had been Chloe's advice. Was it really up to her proving him wrong? Suddenly, that was scaring the hell out of Renee. What if she failed him in any way?

**7:52:22 AM**

"Lookouts are down, you're clear" Cole announced by radio to Jack.

"CTU, we're moving in towards the building now." Jack informed over comm as his assault team started moving in, with Renee right behind him.

"We see you, Jack" Hastings replied, since the drones could transmit their images live back at CTU.

Meanwhile, the masked man in the video continued ranting against Hassan "_This man is not our President! He's an arrogant pretender who would sell our women and children to the infidels and the imperialists of the West. His terrible crimes against our people demand retribution!_"

An Agent used bolt-cutters to remove a section of iron fencing which lead into the lot and the entry of the building. Jack, Renee, Chambers and Bank climbed on through, with their silenced weapons ready, and got inside

Unexpectedly, as they reached the second floor, a guy came into view, smoking a cigarette. Jack told him to get down, first in English and then Arabic, just in case. But the guy didn't get down, but only backed away. So Jack sensed something was wrong and shot him in the chest. Indeed, the guy had a gun. After putting that gun away, Jack whispered over his comm to Hastings that there was one less hostile and asked for confirmation that they were still good to go. "Yes, Jack, you are still good" Hastings confirmed.

Then Jack led the team into the fourth-floor hallway. Agent Bank started pointing a handheld listening device at doors, looking for a match to what the video was saying. After a while, they found the right one. Jack carefully opened the door, as quietly as possible, and went in low, with his gun leveled. There was nobody in the front room but a young girl in a hijab, sitting on the sofa and coloring. Jack shushed her and assured her they were not there to hurt her. He asked "Where's your mommy and daddy?"

Just then the mom came in from the kitchen, wearing a hijab as well, and the two of them started talking loudly at each other in Arabic. Jack quickly grabbed the woman, hissing, "One word, and I will kill you." Meanwhile, Renee hurried to snatch up the girl, covering her mouth with a hand, and left her with the agents waiting in the hallway.

Jack pushed the Middle Eastern woman to a seat on the couch. And then Hastings warned him into his earpiece, "Jack, looks like Samir's wrapping it up, you need to get in there right now." Jack then found a closet, but when he pulled the light on, he discovered a false panel in the back wall. And he could hear the terrorist's voice coming from the other side of it. He opened the false panel and sneaked through it.

Renee was trying to hold the woman at gunpoint and watch after Jack at the very same time. She moved to have a better visual of Jack, and then she and the other woman exchanged hateful glares. Soon, Renee noticed a blonde wig on the floor and she instantly figured out that woman was the driver of the car in which Hassan had been kidnapped. With quick reflexes, she shot her twice, just before the woman could fire a gun at her. Once the woman was dead, Renee could run to follow Jack through the secret passage.

In a closet-door mirror, Jack could see the back of the chair Hassan was sitting in. "I have a visual on Hassan," he whispered over comm "Ready to engage." He rushed around the door frame and started shooting. Two men hunched over the computer screen displaying the webcast went down right away. But the man with the mask opened up with a machine gun. Jack took him down too. But then, he heard the terrorist still giving the speech without any interruption whatsoever. _What the hell…?_

At that moment, he spotted the open laptop, running the internet feed and showing Samir still talking on the screen. "No. No!" Jack said helplessly as the meaning of that hit him with full force. He moved quickly towards it, and then turned around, feeling absolutely horrified the second he saw him.

Omar Hassan was motionless in the chair, with his open eyes gazing up at the ceiling and his throat cut ear to ear.

Renee felt crushed and dropped to her knees in defeat. She couldn't believe it. How could this happen? In reality, she knew how. They had been wrongly operating under the assumption that the webcast was happening in real time. And now that brave man was dead. She wanted to scream and curse, except that the lump of angst on her throat prevented her from emit any sound. All Omar Hassan had wanted in life was to bring peace and prosperity to his country. His signature on that peace agreement would have been a slap on the face of terrorisms. But the terrorists had won. She felt like throwing her guts up. It couldn't be. Those people couldn't win again.

How could they not consider the possibility of the statement being pre-recorded? Jack had failed big time. Omar Hassan had saved his life, and he hadn't been able to reciprocate. Now that admirable man was dead and probably so was the peace process Hassan had cared so much about. The noble cause that brave man had defended so fiercely in life had died with him. Jack fell to his knees defeated. He gently tipped Hassan's head forward and closed his eyes in respect, trying not to cry while whispering apologetically "I'm sorry".

Renee's sorrowful eyes fixated then on Jack, who clearly believed this tragedy had been his fault. How badly she wished she could do something to take away all his pain.

**07:56:36**** AM- McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey**

Allison watched anxiously the internet feed. To her dismay, the terrorist just kept talking nonsense. She wanted desperately to see Jack busting in shooting that bastard. Instead, she witnessed something radically different.

"_For this treachery, the penalty is death. I will carry out this sentence myself. The time has come for this criminal to pay for his treason. Our country demands justice. Omar Hassan shall pay with his own blood._" The terrorist stated as he took a big knife and sliced Hassan's throat.

For Allison Taylor, time seemed to stand still. That couldn't be happening. That wasn't real. Her entire world came abruptly crashing down as she realized that Omar Hassan was in fact and inexorably dead. She moaned in horror as she struggled to stay standing and used the table right behind her for support. Next to her, Tim leaned defeated against the conference table as well.

The first female President of the United States sobbed as softly as she could. She wished to break down completely in a river of salty tears as somebody held her. But that was a luxury she couldn't afford. As all her hopes were abruptly shattered in little pieces, all she could do was cry making a huge effort to retrain her tears and covering her mouth with her hand to muff the sound.

Finally, she pulled herself together and demanded angrily "Call CTU. I want to know what the hell went wrong." As she headed to give Dalia and Kayla the terrible news, she ordered outraged "And clear the screens." She didn't add '_for God's sake_!' to that request, but it was implied in her tone. She couldn't believe nobody had even thought of keeping that atrocity away from the public eye. She, for one, couldn't stand another second of that image of Omar Hassan.

The world had lost not only an outstanding leader, but the only real chance of seeing lasting peace in a region that had seen nothing but war for generations.

**TO BE CONTINUED…. **

**(Please, share your thoughts with me!)**


	13. Chelsea Morning

_Author's note: Thanks everybody so much! I'm flattered by all the support. It means the world to me. I hope you all like this chapter… _

_I did some minor research to get the information I give about Russian criminal tattoos. _

_Warning: some sexual content… _

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Renee had a non- viable pregnancy. That caused her a nervous meltdown and she left Jack without telling him anything. But they agreed to get back together once the crisis regarding the peace initiative gets solved. Leo and Liz keep working to expose the Russian government's part in the plot to kill President Hassan. Liz gets nearly killed by a Russian agent. Leo makes Parev think she actually died. Jack leads an assault team to rescue Hassan but they get there too late. So the world watches Hassan's assassination through internet.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters (except Liz and Leo). They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it! The song "Chelsea morning" belongs to Joni Michel.

**CHAPTER 13:**

**CHELSEA MORNING**

**May 21****st**** 2018**

**07:20****:42 AM – ****Brooklyn, NYC – Leo's house**

Leo hung up his cell phone feeling puzzled. He looked skeptically at his partner and stated "That was my liaison with the FBI. It seems Renee is trying to contact me. She called asking about me like fifteen minutes ago"

"Is that unusual?" Liz asked a bit awkward, trying too hard to sound casual.

"She knows she can't contact me. I contact her. Plus, she claimed I'd sent her sensitive Intel" He stated sitting down in front of his computer to revise some data. After reading something twice, he wondered out loud "What? What's she doing back?" Renee Walker's reentry in the CTU building was marked at 7:04. Coincidentally, a few minutes before Dana Walsh had been exposed as the mole. He gave Liz another suspicious look.

Liz looked down and played nervously with a long lock of her blond hair, twisting it around her finger. For somebody who was normally a phenomenal liar, she sucked when it came to hiding things from Leo. "Okay, I can explain" she mumbled nervously. Leo gave her a clear '_do that, then_' look. She admitted "I sent her what we had on Dana Walsh" and rushed to add "but I don't know why she's looking for you. I did it anonymously"

"Oh, much better" He exclaimed sarcastically. "What part of 'don't drag her into it' was so confusing for you?"

Liz angrily scolded her partner. "Don't you lecture me, Craig. You dragged her into this the second you told Dana to call her so Renee could have her revenge"

"And that was a terrible mistake! Besides, I never gave her sensitive information. You of all people should know that those behind this conspiracy are prepared to kill anyone who may know too much" Leo protested outraged.

"She doesn't know too much. She knows nothing about the Russians being behind Dana" She alleged strongly on her own defense. But then she softly added, "I still think she should though".

"We are not going through that again, Stockard" He warned pointing his index finger at her.

Liz just stared at him stunned by how stubborn he was. She could tell he was thinking '_see? That's why I don't trust other homo sapiens_'. She sighed and made her point "Craig, it never occurred to you that, maybe, if you had told her everything from the beginning things would have turned out better for her?"

"Well, I have to tell her everything now, don't I?" he grumbled, as he reached for his cell phone. But he got suddenly interrupted when Liz's computer began making a loud 'bip' sound. "What's that?"

"Pavel is making a phone call" Elizabeth stated somberly, as she got her computer ready to listen and record the conversation. Both agents got even closer to the computer to pay attention.

"_Yes?" _

"_I got new Intel__. The Americans know the location. _They_ are sending the cavalry on Samir, probably as we speak." _

"_Are you __near the location?"_

"_Three minutes away. What are my orders if the Americans get what they are after?"_

"_Make sure they don't. But whatever happens there must be no connection to us." _

"_Understood. I'll call you back to report after it's done" _

Then the phone call ended. "He must be three minutes away from where they are keeping Hassan." Leo stated the obvious conclusion. And then he urged "We need Pavel's position now, Stockard"

"I'm already tracking his cell" Liz explained as she ran a program that would send the data from the GPS devise in Pavel's cell phone to her computer.

"Any way to ID the Russian giving the orders?"Leo inquired hopeful. They already knew it was someone inside the Russian government, but they didn't have the name. He then suggested "voice recognition software?"

"Without any voice print to compare it with?" Liz asked rhetorically and shook her head. They would need samples of the voices of every Russian politician they suspected of. And they would have to take those samples from sources of proven veracity, like public speeches. It was more obvious than ever that they needed help.

"He's in Bronx" Leo abruptly pointed out, noticing in the map of New York the spot where Pavel was at that time. "He's stopped moving. He must be parked waiting for his time to make a move"

Liz noticed he was already preparing his enormous backpack. "Craig, what are doing?"

"I'm going after him" He replied casually, as he took his 9mm semi-automatic pistol, made sure it was fully loaded and put a set of extra ammunitions on his backpack. Liz stared at him in disbelief. So he hastily explained "Whether CTU gets Hassan dead or alive, Pavel'll sweep off any possible connection with the Russians. Unless I stop him"

"Fine, we are going" Liz said as she prepared herself to leave also.

"Hold on. You're not going anywhere, Stockard. I need you here for technical support"

"He could kill you. I'm not letting you go there alone"

"I'm in command. Do as I say!" He snapped rudely. The stress of the situation was getting to him. Feeling bad for snapping at her, he calmed down and softened his tone, "Please, I really need you here"

"Okay" She agreed reluctantly. She downloaded all the data they had to his PDA, and watched as Leo put his flack vest on. She sighed worriedly and pointed out "But he's in Bronx, Craig. You won't get there soon enough"

"Not with that attitude, Agent Sunshine", he said as he grabbed his backpack. Then he winked his eye at Liz and smiled to reassure her. However, on the inside he was truly scared.

**07: 4****6 AM**

As Leo drove his car as fast as possible, he called Renee's cell phone. He had to leave a message "Renee, it's me. I need to talk to you ASAP. Please, call me back". Then he muttered to himself "Damn it!". It was the fourth time he tried to call Renee but her cell phone appeared to be turned off.

"_Craig, it's me. Do you copy?" _

"Yes, what do you know?"

"_It's starting. Samir is making his statement. CTU's team is in position… so is Pavel" _

"Copied that" He said somberly, accelerating his vehicle as much as possible. But he knew there was no way he would make it soon enough. "Is Renee still at CTU?"

"_Her status appears as -on field-"_

Leo sighed in frustration after hearing that. That meant she was in Bronx as well. And he was driving down the FDR East River drive, passing by Jefferson Park. He was still nowhere near his destination. "Damn it!"

**07:57****:00**** AM – Bronx, NYC – Samir's hideout**

"The… statement was prerecorded He was dead before we got here" Jack explained painfully to Hastings over comm. He then looked briefly at Renee, who shook her head full of sorrow and disbelief. Next he moved quickly towards Samir, took of his mask and checked his pulse. There was one. "Samir is still alive." Hastings immediately said he'd send a team of medical technicians. Jack went off comm and secured Samir, who was still unconscious but could wake up at any second. Then he moved to check the other two terrorists. "These two are dead" he announced to Renee coldly. After that, he couldn't help taking another look at Hassan's body.

Renee saw Jack blinking quickly and moving his head uncomfortably, like he wanted to cry but was trying hard not to. She felt as one tear rolled from her eye though her cheek but brushed it away, wishing to remain strong. She approached him cautiously. Her fingers barely brushed his as she was about to hold his hand in support.

Jack sensed Renee was about to try comforting by saying something like 'I'm sorry' or 'it wasn't your fault'. He wanted to hear none of that at the moment. Before she could hold his hand or say anything at all he walked away to the living room of the apartment while telling her with a very sad tone, "Would you oversee the scene for me…? I… I should call President Taylor"

Renee watched him leave the room with her heart truly breaking for him. He had said those last five words as if they were the most difficult ones in the entire word. It was plain to see how hard it was for him letting Taylor down.

Shortly, a forensic team came to get Hassan's body. Meanwhile, two EMTs took care of Samir. One of them was actually Pavel Tokarev in disguise. When he entered the room, he briefly spotted a redheaded behind the forensic team. It seemed like she was CTU. But from his angle he couldn't get a clear visual of her face and he had to act normally, so he couldn't stare at her. Then he and the real paramedic took Samir to the hallway. He had to keep up the appearances until it was safe to make his move.

Ironically enough, Renee's job was to make sure everything was being done according to the book. She followed the forensic team as they took three bodies and the rest of the evidence out of the building. She took a quick look at the EMTs who were working on Samir. One of them was working with his back at her and the other one was getting something from a case. She didn't have a good visual of him. But she decided it didn't matter and went behind the forensic team.

After the body of Hassan was properly handed to the people already appointed for the task of taking it to CTU, she took a moment to walk to a less crowded area and take a deep breath. She needed to stay strong. She thought of Jack whispering '_I'm sorry_' like it had all been his fault. She also thought of Hassan bravely saving Jack's life first and then the lives of thousands of Americans. Once again, a tear rolled down her cheek. She closed her eyes and whispered "I'm sorry too, Mr. President"

**08:05****:00**** AM**

As Renee was going upstairs again, an EMT passed by her. He was heading in opposite direction. They exchanged a look briefly and they each continued their ways. But something troubled her. She could have sworn she had seen that man before. She just couldn't remember when or where. As she reached the top of the stairs, she turned around and gave him another glance. For one second, a horrible and scary thought crossed her mind. Didn't that man use to do business with…? He looked like somebody who a few times had met with… Then Renee quickly dismissed the idea. It couldn't be. It was probably just her crazy paranoid mind messing with her again. She had to let that past go for good. She had to focus solely on the one man she cared about.

She walked towards the room Jack was in and stopped by the doorway. Her heart broke when she saw how deeply sad he looked. She didn't dare to move an inch closer to him. She knew how weird Jack was when he was the one needing comfort. She wasn't supposed to offer it to him. She was only allowed to console him when, and if, he showed somehow that he wanted her to.

It had taken several minutes for Jack to summon the courage to call the President. Allison Taylor hadn't blamed him at all. But that didn't matter. He was still full of guilt. As he hung up the phone feeling miserable, he heard Renee's voice calling out his name. Her eyes looked so damn sorrowful he could hardly stand looking at them. It was so horrible having disappointed everybody who had believed in him. But as much as he detested doing so, he admitted his defeat. "President Taylor is going to formally announce the end of the peace conference." And then he made himself strong enough to meet her gaze.

That wasn't surprising. But it made her so angry that it had all indeed ended with a victory for the terrorists. Also, it pained her how Jack blamed himself for that. She tried to reassure him "Jack, you did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough." Jack whispered still sour, looking down and away from her.

She swallowed hard the ache his remorse caused her. There would be no use in even trying to make his guilt go away. "We should get back to CTU." She suggested gently knowing there were probably still some things to take care of, like finding out who Dana truly worked for.

"Why? The fuel rods have been recovered. The peace conference is over. Everybody who was responsible  
is either dead or in custody." He pointed out. He truly had no reason to go back to that place.

Renee was too stunned to move or react at all as he walked away. But then she thought of how Jack had been dragged back to CTU because of the crisis, and then because of her. Stepping in and being a hero was a huge part of his nature. But why would he stay now that the crisis had ended, although in a horrible way?

"Cole. What's the status on Samir?" Jack asked the younger agent as he found him in the hallway.

"He's still unconscious, but the EMTs say he'll make it." Cole explained.

"Okay, good. I want you to stay with him. I'm handing over complete authority and responsibility for his transport to you." Jack announced much to Cole's confusion.

"Are you heading back to CTU?" Cole asked not getting what was going on.

"No. We're going home. We're done." He replied giving Renee a brief look. She was totally off the hook now. Finally, he could take her home with him. That was at the one thing he had done right. He had saved her. Why would ruin that by going back to CTU? They were retreating defeated. But at least they were leaving together.

As much as Renee adored the idea of going back to their refuge in Chelsea, she was still feeling the same kind of pain Jack was feeling. It broke her heart to see him so crushed. But if he wanted to go home and heal, who was she to stop him? He had certainly earned that right. And going home could be just what he needed.

"Hastings is still probably going to want to debrief both of you." Cole pointed out rightly.

"I'm sure he will. He knows how to find me." Jack replied, meaning it was something that could definitely wait. At that point, he truly didn't give a damn about the debriefing.

"I'm sorry it ended up like this, Jack." Cole said sincerely, and troubled to notice how sad Jack was.

"Me too." Jack said what was written in his face. Then he shook the younger Agent's hand to say goodbye, truly appreciating they had worked together. "You're a good agent, Cole. I wouldn't be standing here without you."

"Thank you." Cole said politely but overwhelmed by shock. Was Jack Bauer truly quitting?

"I hope everything works out. I'll pack my kit up downstairs." Jack stated as he rushed the hell out of there. It had suddenly hit him that it was the third time in sixteen hours he said goodbye to Cole, supposedly for good. Whenever he thought he was out of CTU forever he got dragged back again. He was determined not to let that happen yet another time.

**08:0****9:00 AM ****– ****Brooklyn, NYC – Leo's house**

After intercepting a very perturbing phone conversation, Liz got in contact with her partner trying to sound as calm as possible. "Craig? It's me. Copy?"

"_Yes, Stockard. Go ahead."_

"Are you still driving to Bronx?" She asked hearing regular traffic sounds.

"_Yes, Renee still has her cell phone off. I have to find her and tell her what I know. The CTU team must be still at the scene of the assassination, right?" _

"Listen, there's been a development. Pull the car over" She didn't want him driving while he heard upsetting news.

"_But I' almost there I'm by Mott Haven"_

"You won't want to go to the crime scene, Craig. Just trust me and pull the damn car over" She demanded feeling truly nervous. Then she calmed down as much as she could, and explained "Tokarev took Samir out. But we have a bigger problem. He thinks he was recognized by a female CTU agent who's with Jack Bauer..."

"_That'__s Renee. But she's only seen him like twice, six years ago. Is he sure she recognized him?"_

"He isn't. But he wants to take both of them out, just in case. However, the unidentified government official told him not to do that yet. So for now Tokarev is just following them and waiting further orders" She didn't add that Pavel's cold and calm tone during the conversation had completely given her the creeps.

"_Damn it! Where are they__ now?"_

"In a taxicab. Apparently they are not going back to CTU. But Pavel didn't say where they are going"

"_I __can guess where..." _

**08:****10:00**** AM**

As the taxi drove them back to his apartment, he got a phone call from Brian Hastings. But he didn't take it. Later, he heard the message left in on his voice mail. "_Jack, this is Hastings. I need you and Renee for the debriefing, please. Cole's just told me you are upset. But nobody blames you. We just need to debrief both of you. It's standard procedure_" Jack didn't give a damn about the standard procedure. Indeed, he blocked Hastings's number in order not to get any more calls from him. He would gladly turn off his phone all together, but what if Kim needed him?

Renee looked at him worried. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Just as Cole said, Hastings wants to debrief us"

"Don't we have to go then?"

"No, we don't have to." He replied full of conviction. They didn't even work for CTU. So in reality they didn't _have_ to go there, ever, if they just didn't feel like it. He hated that place. He wouldn't go there again for something like a debriefing, which wasn't even that important. Protecting the people he truly cared about was what mattered.

**08:21:06****AM – Chelsea, Manhattan – Jack's apartment **

Renee entered the apartment which had been her sanctuary for seven weeks. Hours earlier, during her 'break', it had felt wrong being there without him. Now they were both safe, they were both home. Nothing felt more right. But it felt somewhat weird being right back where they had started from after everything that had happened since then. "So, did you find a buyer for this place?" She asked trying to sound casual. Before she left he had been in the process of selling his place so they could buy one together in L.A.

"No. I realized selling's not a good idea. With the economy and all" Jack explained uncomfortably. Not willing to admit he had grown too emotionally attached to the apartment... for some strange reason. "You know, I still think I got some coffee around here." He whispered as he took his jacket off, left it over the couch and headed to the kitchenette. He had left so abruptly that he couldn't recall whether he had anything decent to drink or eat.

"Second cabinet, on your left" Renee told him, having seen it during her reluctant 'break'.

After thanking her, Jack began making coffee for the two of them. Something that merely a week before was the most normal thing for him to do in the mornings. In the heat of the moment, he had kissed her and said he wanted her back. But maybe he needed to think carefully about it. Renee thought that was fair. It was his prerogative. She took off her purple jacket and put it over the couch, along with her backpack.

Then she walked towards the bookcase, as she let her hair down, which always made her feel more herself. She couldn't help to pick up that framed picture of the two of them. A photo of him with one arm around her waist, looking sexy and she was wearing that pink t-shirt he adored, looking happy. The memory of the blissful morning in which the photo had been taken put a smile on her face. Remembering how happy they had been in that apartment all those mornings made her think of that very old song written by Joni Michel.

"_Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning…_

_and the first thing that I heard was the song outside my window and the traffic wrote the words  
It came ringing up like Christmas bells and rapping up like pipes and drums  
Won't you stay? We'll put on the day and we'll wear it 'till the night comes"_

She shook her head forcing herself to stop fantasizing. How could he want her back, really? He had to find her repulsive after what she had to do with Vladimir. Plus she still had a secret to confess. What if he hated her for lying and hiding the baby issue? She had to keep her feet on the ground. She left the picture on its place and turned around to face him, dreading the conversation she felt they needed to have. There was so much she wanted to say she didn't even know how to begin. "Jack, listen…" His eyes met hers. "I want you to know… I want to be with you more than anything… leaving was a mistake … But after that and everything that happened today, I would understand it if you…" she couldn't bring herself to say what followed. She didn't want him to ever let her go. But she didn't want him to be with her again out of pity or obligation. Summoning all her strength, she looked into his eyes to set him free. "I know that we've said a lot of things to each other, and you've made promises to me about... I just want you to know that I'm not gonna hold you to them."

Once again she was full of doubts about the way he felt about her. But he felt exactly as she did. And as long as they both wanted to be together nothing else mattered at that point. They had all the time in the world for serious conversations. They could talk about anything later. With determination, he stepped towards her.

Renee barely noticed he was getting closer. She was too sure he couldn't possibly want her _that _way ever again. So she remained lost in her rambling. "It's been a terrible day and I know that Principio del formulario

we… we say things in the moment, and I just... I don't want you to..." That was when she was suddenly interrupted by gently taking her face and planting a kiss on her lips. She was a bit slow to reciprocate at first, she was too overwhelmed. Jack was actually kissing her with so much passion. It was so astonishing but he actually wanted her again. He still wanted her. It felt like a dream and it terrified her that she could wake up. She finally dared to kiss him back with equal fervor, putting a hand on the back of his head and the other one on his cheek.

It was all that took for things to begin heating up uncontrollably. She put her arms around his neck forgetting completely about all the things she had formerly wanted to say. He hoisted her up and carried her to his bedroom as they kissed desperately. Once they were over the bed, they quickly began undressing each other. But then he remembered how badly she had been hurt just before. What if it was too much too soon for her? He reluctantly moved away from her, gasping for air. "Hey" he whispered softly "are… are you okay with this?"

Saying she was 'okay' would have been the understatement of the century. She didn't reply with words though. Instead, she finished undressing him like she absolutely owned him and every clothe covering his body. Soon even his bandages were off, leaving just two small dressings protecting that damned wound in the stomach and another one by the shoulder. As they kissed, she made him lay fully on his back and positioned herself on top of him, taking control of the situation. It was a position she needed to feel safe and confident in bed again. She kissed him and then his perfectly formed chest. It was the same body hers had missed so desperately for the past six nights. It was the only body that actually belonged as close to hers.

**Meanwhile... ****Chelsea, Manhattan**

"Stockard? It's me. What do you have?" Leo was now parked three blocks away from Bauer's apartment.

"_He's just gotten in the building across the street. But I don't have his exact position. I'll send you the schematics. At this point his orders remain the same. He's not supposed to open fire at them… yet_"

"He will if he sees me talking to them" So much for his idea of just showing up at the apartment to warn them. But after taking a look at the schematic he had just received, he could tell which one of all the offices would provide Pavel the most convenient position to get a clear look into Bauer's apartment. "I'm going after that bastard"

"_Craig, I've just found out why you couldn't call Renee. They took her SIM card at CTU as evidence… because of the Intel about Dana in it. But they gave her a new one and I've just got her new number" _

"Try calling her then. Tell her to stay covered until I get Pavel. That I'll explain everything later" He was practically running out of breath as he rushed towards the building.

"_Of course, but what if she doesn't trust me?"_

"If she doesn't… tell her the code word is Abigail Renata" Renee's middle name plus the Italian version of her first name. It wasn't the best secret code in the universe. But it would do. "Well, I'm ready to go in now"

"_Good luck, Craig"_

"Thanks" He whispered right before going off comm. He entered the building and headed straight upstairs.

**08:25 AM - Inside an office **

Pavel was keeping his targets under surveillance with a sniper scope. Those two were fully engaged in nasty business. To think that when he had first met her he thought she was nothing but Vladimir's Russian bitch. He would have never guessed she was truly a CTU agent and a western whore. Soon, his spying was interrupted by his phone ringing. It was from one of the three Russian agents he still had left. "Yes?"

"_There's a problem" _

Another one? They had lost their one female agent at the hands of that FBI woman, plus Dana Walsh had gotten caught and Bauer's party-girl had recognized him. Keeping his tone emotionless, he asked "What's wrong?"

"_I was right. That alleged mobster you employed… he's actually a cop." _

"Are you sure?" He tried not to reveal his embarrassment over being tricked like that.

"_Yes, I'll send you what the SVR* has on him, he's following you" * (__Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki – Foreign intelligence service – a contemporary KGB)_

"Good, that will save me the trouble of having to hunt him down." Pavel then hung up the phone angrily.

Leo had no idea he had already gotten caught. As he arrived to the right floor, he realized it would be impossible to enter silently and get Pavel by surprise. He took a look at the floor's schematics. The window, where the Russian had to be positioned, was approximately fifteen feet away and about seven inches on the right. Maybe, if he was fast enough… He kicked the door open and began shooting with his silenced gun at where Pavel was supposed to be in one quick motion. He hit nothing but the glass. A bit thrown aback, he looked around. For a moment, he thought he had the wrong office. Until he saw an elderly man lying dead on the floor, with clear stab wounds. Then, emerging from the room adjacent to the office, Pavel fired his rifle three times at his chest. And even though his flak jacket stopped the bullets, the force of the bullets hitting him knocked Leo down to the floor.

The Russian was not surprised to notice the flak jacket. He was just pissed. He forced 'Aleck' up and pushed him against a wall banging his head harshly against it. He decided to him alive to make him talk. But he would have to do that later. He first had an assignment to complete.

Leo woke up gasping for air. His chest was hurting, and it was extremely hard for him to breathe. He was tightly tied to a chair while a bath-towel was muffing his screaming. He also noticed being bare-chested. His shirt had been ripped off. As he tried in vain to move and untie himself, the Russian turned around.

"Stop it!" Pavel futilely ordered. "I said, stop it" he yelled getting closer to him and smacking him harshly across the face. Whoever that man was, he had tattoos from the Russian mafia. But now Pavel knew they were part of a cover. "Wearing tattoos you never earned is a crime we take seriously. You know?" The Russian used his knife to cut some Tattooed skin from the other man's chest, just to show how much pain he would cause him. Right at that moment Pavel's cell phone went off. It was Novakovich so he had no choice but taking it. "Yeah?"

"_Is the situation under control?"_

Not willing to admit he had gotten distracted from his task, Parev took another look at the apartment across the street. Those two were still going at it like bunnies. He replied "Yes. I'm keeping them in sight"

"_You have new instructions. He wants this mess completely under the carpet. Understood?_"

Pavel was back observing his targets. They weren't exactly acting like two people who knew about Russian government's involvement in the assassination. But orders were orders. Besides… better safe than sorry."Understood. I'll clean it". Pavel said and hung up. Then he smacked hard the man in front of him across the face. "I'll have to deal with you later" After that he opened the office's window and began setting up his M1A riffle in the best position to get a clear shot inside Bauer's apartment.

Leo was watching everything helplessly. He tried to move dragging the chair he was tied to with him, but he barely made an inch before pathetically falling on one side to the ground. There was blood coming out from his broken tooth and from the cut on his skin, but he couldn't even spit or curse because of that towel on his mouth. He kept struggling, until Pavel got too pissed off and beat him up. Then he lost consciousness again.

**08:34:00****AM – Chelsea, Manhattan – Jack's apartment **

Jack was still lying on his back. Renee was resting her head on his chest and keeping one arm around him. He loved just watching her, running his fingers through her dark auburn hair and smelling it. He could sense the smell of his own shampoo on her hair, which meant she had taken a shower in his bathroom. Noticing that automatically made him at ease, like he had officially regained his territory. While the possessive-male in him celebrated his victory, the sweet-gentleman in him was deeply concerned about her. Was she truly as great as she seemed? As he caressed the soft skin of her back, he made the natural question. "Are you okay?"

Renee thought it was adorable how he worried about her even though she hadn't been able to stop smiling ever since they had reached one spectacular climax. Her joy was obvious. "I'm great…"

Glad to hear that, he began kissing her neck, then her shoulders and then her breast. It particularly fascinated him that small rose she had tattooed in black ink, right on top of her left boob. She could be so unpredictable and complex. Brushing the rose with the tip of his fingers, he commented "have I ever told you how much I like this?"

He had actually said it like three millionths times in six weeks of having sex together. But she had always managed to leave it unexplained. Now that he knew her history with the Russians, she could clarify it for him. "It was my initiation tattoo. When you are accepted in a Russian gang you get a rose in your chest", she spoke barely in a whisper, avoiding his gaze. A rose on her chest was an indication that a person was a new member of a Russian mob, but it could also mean 'r_uined youth_'. Which was why Renee had thought it suited her perfectly. "Every sin leaves a mark" she added bitterly, quoting the movie 'Eastern Promises'.

Jack then felt like an idiot for unwillingly bringing up that topic. He held her tightly in a protective and comforting way. And then he said sincerely "You know? I still like that rose very much". He was clearly not talking just about the tattoo. Couldn't she see how desirable he still found her? And how beautiful he found her inside and out? He caressed the soft skin of her bare back. It felt perfect. His back was still deeply marked, but he recalled how Renee had never cared about that. "Hey, remember what you told me about the scars on my back?"

"That they are a part of your past. And your past made you who you are today. And I like you very much, so I also like whatever made you be… you" she looked at him in the eyes and got what he was trying to tell her.

"So why wouldn't I like what makes you be you? Renee, now I know more than I ever did about you. And… I've never wanted you more" Jack admitted sincerely. Everything he had learned about Renee during the past thirteen hours made him care about her even more than before. He felt more connected to her than ever. When he saw that beautiful girlish smile on her face again, he realized she had understood him.

"Jack" she shook her head marveled by him. "You can't possibly want me more than I want you" Before he could dissent, she shut him up with a very passionate kiss. She wanted him and she loved him. But she just wasn't brave enough so say those words yet. Instead, she kept savoring their kiss. Soon they were ready for another round. However, they were rudely interrupted by her cell phone ringing in the living room, in the pocket of her jacket. She was about to get up and get it, but Jack pulled her closer to him.

"Don't you dare" he whispered with a soft velvety voice, as he positioned himself on top of her.

"Jack, it's the fourth time it rings" she protested weakly. Frankly, she didn't want to leave his side. The first few times the phone had ringed she had barely heard it, Jack could make the rest of the universe magically vanish.

"It's CTU" he stated and then brushed his lips against her breast, tickling her. "The debriefing, remember?" Clearly not caring about that, he kept kissing her breast while his hands firmly held hers above her head.

"Yeah… we don't wanna do that" she said as she put her hands in the back of her head, indicating she was surrounding herself to him completely.

Jack grinned and shook his head. "We wanna enjoy the one thing that went right today" Then he focused on kissing her tummy and licked her belly button.

Renee moaned in pleasure, completely agreeing with him. Jack then kissed her on the mouth. As their tongues were softly caressing, she wrapped her legs around his waist. After that, he softly began kissing her neck and then gently nibbling her left lobule. Just like that, the sound of her phone became more and more distant.

**08:****52**** AM**

In Africa Jack had leant that during a mating bout lions copulate between twenty and forty times a day. Of course, he didn't intend getting anywhere close to break that impressive record. However, after making love to Renee for the second time, he wanted to have her again. He couldn't have enough of her. Except that, for the moment, they were just making out, taking a short break from other activities. That was also amazing. He loved just watching her gorgeous face, caressing her hair and staring deep into her beautiful blue eyes. But even though she had shown no sign of discomfort, he had to make sure once more that she was feeling at ease. "You okay?"

"Perfect" She whispered the only word that described accurately how she was feeling at that very instant. It was the way he made her feel. Through a huge and horrible storm they had reached their shore together. And if Jack could still look at her with such loving eyes after everything he had saw and learnt about her, she was sure they could face anything together. Even the painful confession she was saving for more proper time.

"Promise?" He asked needing to know for sure the joy she seemed to feel next to him was real.

"Hmm." She mumbled as she nodded to reassure him. Suddenly, she was the one who wanted to stay silent. She just wanted to enjoy his proximity, the feeling of his skin making contact with hers and his face with those gorgeous eyes and those lovely wrinkles around them. She wanted to take a moment to enjoy that it was truly him the one so close to her.

'Perfect' described the way Jack was feeling at that very moment too. Except for one small trouble, his mouth was dry. He felt incredibly thirsty. He hadn't taken anything to drink since… well, since that disgusting shot of Vodka indeed. With Renee currently in his arms, Jack just wanted to hold on to her and never let her go. Yet, he had to get up and get some water, which sucked because he longed to spend all day just glued to her in bed. So the timing to desperately need some water was truly a bad one. That made him chuckle as he stated "I am so thirsty."

"Me too." She admitted, giggling along with him.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink?" He offered while caressing a lock of her hair, glad to notice her smile was reaching her eyes.

"Yeah"

"Okay." He just needed to kiss her one more time before leaving the bed. They kissed briefly and then he assured her "I'll be right back."

Renee watched him sitting on the side of the bed, putting his jeans again. She brushed his scars with her hand. Those lines on his back were truly like a map of his life, a life that had been full of pain and sorrow for too long. But that life had made him who he was now, and frankly, she wouldn't have him any other way.

She grinned as he took a white shirt and put it on. For a second there she wanted to tell him not to get dressed, since she would have to undress him again. But she bit her lower lip and restrained herself.

"Don't move." He whispered to her as he left to the kitchen.

Not like she was planning to. She could stay in bed with him all day long. After a shot break to regain energies she would be more than ready for another round. If they got tired, they could take a nap glued together and after that… make love again. If they got hungry, they could eat something in bed together, after that… once again.

Renee rested happily on the bed while looking at the small window of his bedroom. The bright sun outside made the blinds covering it look of a beautiful shade of yellow. And the room seemed orange. She just couldn't get that extremely cheesy cheerful song out of her head.

"_Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning…_

_and the first thing that I saw was the sun through yellow curtains and a rainbow on the wall Red, green and gold to welcome you, and crimson crystal beads to beckon  
Won't you stay? We'll put on the day. There's a sun shower every second_

_Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning…  
And the first thing that I knew there was milk and toast and honey a__nd a bowl of oranges too  
And the light poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses  
Won't you stay? We'll put on the day and we'll talk in present tenses"_

The singing on her head was abruptly interrupted by Jack's cell ringing. In the middle of their sexual frenzy, it had winded up somehow on the floor, right next to the bed. "Jack, your cell's ringing."

"Don't worry about it, let it go." He told her from the kitchenette as he got the water for the two of them.

But she couldn't just let it go. She didn't even know why she cared so much about what the rest of the world wanted. She liked how everything had been just about them. She had felt so great sheltered in his arms. But she couldn't truly relax being completely far away from reality forever. She simply decided to pick it up to check who was calling. When she saw it was Chloe, she realized she had to take the call. Chloe wouldn't be bothering Jack over nothing. It had to be extremely important. So she took the call. "Hello. Jack's phone."

As he poured the water in the glasses, Jack heard a sound coming from Renee's cell phone. It was alerting of an unopened text message. It had rung like ten times over the past twenty minutes. He was too curious about who could want so badly speak to her. What could possibly be so important? If it was actually Hastings bugging her about the debriefing, Jack was going to be so pissed. He got her phone from her jacket and saw an unidentified number. The same person had made twelve calls and had sent several text messages. The last one was from four minutes before. It just said '_Sniper positioned across Jack's apartment. Duck for cover_.' Jack startled, thinking that had to be some sick joke. But then he noticed an audio file attached to the message, and he heard part of a conversation between two guys with Russian accents.

"_Where is she now?"_

"_Just ahead of me, with Jack Bauer."_

"_Bauer? Are they going to CTU?"_

"_I don't think so, no."_

"_Then, it seems unlikely she recognized you."_

"_Better not to take the chance. I'll take out Bauer too, while I'm at it."_

Jack began making his way to the bedroom to warn Renee and keep her covered, but then he noticed to his horror that she was coming hurriedly towards him, positioning herself right in front the window.

"Jack... you need to..."

Before she could emit another sound, he jumped towards her as fast as he could and pulled her down to the floor yelling desperately "Renee! No!"

**Meanwhile - Inside the office **

Pavel finally could take a clear shot at the woman as she stepped outside the bedroom. He shot twice, but almost at the same time, he felt a strong shock of electricity from behind that made him scream in pain and fall to the ground. Then he got shot with the electric pistol again until he was unconscious.

Liz sighed relieved when the bastard was down. Then she rushed to untie Leo "Oh my God!"

He gasped for air once he was free from the towel on his mouth. "Renee? is she…?"

She moved to the window and tried to look into Bauer's apartment to see what had happened. "Oh dear God… I… I see both of them down… and there's blood"

"He hit both of them?" Leo gasped in horror, still with his chest hurting like hell.

"Not possible. He didn't have time" Liz quickly pointed out shaking her head.

"Then what the hell is going on?" He managed to get enough strength from his anger to stand up and kick Pavel on the back repeatedly. "You bastard! Who did you hit?... who did you hit?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please… reviews are very welcome!)**


	14. Six degress of separation

_Author's note: Thanks everybody so much! The support I'm getting means the world to me. I know… I'm truly evil for leaving your with a cliffhanger. But I hope you like the twists. And please, forgive me for taking so long to update. Now, things won't get as 'bloody' and dark as in the show. But I hope you like it anyway. _

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Liz and Leo know somebody within the Russian government was behind the assassination of Hassan, they don't know who. On the other hand, Charles Logan may have Intel he's hiding for his own convenience.

Renee thinks she saw a man from her past with Vladimir posing as an ETM at the crime scene. But she's not sure and lets it go. The guy is Pavel Tokarev, a Russian operative who wrongly believes Renee recognized him and gets prepared to take them out. Leo tries to stop him but fails and is taken hostage.

After Hassan gets murdered, a grief stricken Jack abandons CTU for good (again). He and Renee get back together after making clear that's what they both truly want… twice. Then Renee takes a call from Chloe meant for Jack and He sees in her cell a warning about a sniper across his apartment.

Pavel fires two shots as Jack jumps and pulls Renee down. Right after, Liz gives Pavel an electric shot.

**Next:**__We learn who got hit at the shooting, and we learn how all the character are connected to each other in a way that led them to their current situations.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 14:**

**SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION**

"_I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. The President of the United States, a gondolier in Venice, just fill in the names. I find it extremely comforting that we're so close. I also find it like Chinese water torture that we're so close because you have to find the right six people to make the right connection... I am bound, you are bound, to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people."_

– Line from the movie 'Six Degrees of Separation', said by Stockard Channing's character

**March 2012 - Chicago, Illinois **

After leaving her two year old son Cooper at the daycare center, Elizabeth walked struggling with the cold wind until she got into Starbucks and ordered a latte with a blueberry muffin. She still had a few minutes for herself before work and she was only a two blocks away from the FBI offices. But that morning something was bugging her. There was an older man staring at her, about her dad's age. She was finding the way he looked at her creepy. She thought she was just being paranoid. So she just sat by a table and tried to ignore it.

He couldn't help just staring at the young woman. She looked so much like her mother. Her facial features were identical. They both had the same nose, plus dark blue eyes of the exact same shape. Suddenly, he realized he was coming off as a pervert stalking her. He had to tell her what he actually wanted. The man approached her gently, "Agent Stockard? I'm a friend of you mother. May I talk to you, please?"

Liz shook her head firmly, knowing better than to fall for that. "I know all my mom's friends."

"I apologize I wasn't clearer. I meant your _birth_ mother, Martha Logan."

Every muscle in her body tensioned instantly and her features turned somber. "If you are a reporter, you'll get nothing from me but a kick in the nuts. I'm a good fighter. As you already know, I'm a federal agent"

"So am I" The man said showing her his badge. He tried to restrain an amused smile, that girl seemed to have her mother's attitude. "I'm also a close friend of hers. I came because she's heartbroken that you won't take her calls"

Elizabeth examined carefully the man's badge. Then she looked at the man again, "Agent Pierce? Look, I have parents. I don't need anything from that woman. I tried to contact her. But she didn't want me around. I was told to stay away from her, and for years I got monthly payments in cash just to do that." Her tone showed how hurt she still was about being treated her like some dirt they needed under the carpet. "I sent the money back. But if Mrs. Logan doesn't want it she knows where she can put it"

Aaron looked at her sadly. "Mr. Logan sent you the money. His wife didn't even know you wanted to see her, or that you knew about her." He handed her a handwritten letter and a plane ticket to California. "In the letter Martha explains everything. Her parents made her give you up when she had you as a teen. Later her husband sabotaged her intends to search for you, and made you believe she didn't want to meet you"

"To protect his political career?" She asked almost rhetorically. Neither Liz nor Aaron missed the irony. Considering everything Charles Logan had done, a secret step-child should have been the least of his worries.

"That was Charles's intention. Everybody knew Martha had… health issues. He didn't want people to know about the child she had at sixteen with another man…" The veteran agent explained as gently as he could.

"I get it. I just didn't fit with the image of the perfect First Family Charles wanted to create." Liz had accepted that a long while ago. She stood up, considering the conversation over. And then she handed the plane ticket and the letter back to Aaron. "It doesn't matter, Agent Pierce. I'm just no longer interested in meeting her. Tom and Julia Stockard are my family. I'm their daughter"

"I'm not arguing that, ma'am. I just came to ask you, please, that you meet Martha at least once to talk to her"

Then Liz noticed how sad and desperate the man before her seemed to be. And he had made such a long trip just to talk to her. She looked at him with curiosity. "Why is this so important to you?"

"Because she is. And I'm worried about her. Not just because of her… issues. Ever since David Palmer died and she saw who Charles really is, she's been…" He didn't know how to explain in words how depressed Martha was. He hoped seeing Liz would somehow help. He decided to summarize his whole point by saying "I just thought you should know Martha is truly a nice woman who has suffered a lot" He handed the plane ticket back to Liz. "Please"

**JUNE 2013 - ****NEW YORK CITY**

Leo was pacing nervously around the apartment Renee had rented in Brooklyn to pose as Renee Zadan. He believed she had gone insane. "Renee, you don't have to see him ever again. I can pull you out of the mission"

"That would leave us nowhere. I have to stay under." She stated firmly as she applied some make up on her face trying not to even think about how she felt. She had a job to do. After a week of hiding, crying in her bed, getting up only for endless showers that were never enough to clean her, she had decided to stop being a victim. She had to make that Vladimir pay, whatever the cost. "If I leave now, it means I failed. I cannot let that happen. Do you think I want to see him again? I don't. But we haven't gotten enough evidence against him"

"I can't let you be around a guy who… who did that to you…" He couldn't even say it out loud. How could such a horrible thing happen? He never thought it would get so far. But it had to end right there and then. "I have to call it in and pull you out. I'm the special agent in charge of the operation. And I say it's over. End of discussion"

"End of discussion? Are you pulling rank on me?" She wasn't even trying to mask her deep outrage.

"Yes! He's a bastard. You are done dealing with him" He yelled, frustrated that she wouldn't listen to him.

"What? You won't let me get back at him? Are we letting that guy win?" she asked absolutely appalled by the mere idea. Then she shook her head full of determination. "I don't think so, Leo… I won't leave until I take him down. You are the agent in charge… but I'm the woman he…" She flinched disgusted. She couldn't say the word. She couldn't even think about that night. She didn't want to remember, it made her entire body ache. But what had happened was the reason why she needed to personally destroy that Russian bastard. "He's my enemy… I'll be done with him when I decide I'm done with him… That's the end of this discussion"

"But Renee…" He was about to pull rank again. But he knew that would infuriate her even more. Instead, he decided to beg. "Please, don't do this. You don't have to. Please, I'm asking as your friend, I don't want him anywhere near you, I don't want him to hurt you again"

But she was not moved. "I appreciate your concern. But I have to do it. It's the only way to get what we need. And as my friend… don't you want him to pay for what he's done? Don't you want justice?"

"Of course I do." That was obvious. But it wasn't the point.

"Then let me do this. Trust me. It'll be all right." She said as she looked at herself in the mirror to apply more black eyeliner. Then she brushed her long dark auburn hair while she explained Leo why her 'date' with Vladimir was important. "He's meeting a guy from the Red Square at that restaurant tonight. Maybe we'll finally be able to prove that gang exists" She then noticed her cheeks were red because of the sunburns she had gotten two weeks before. She hated that she could never get a decent tan, her skin was too delicate "Do you think I look fine?"

"You look gorgeous" Leo assured her, with only a half-smile. At that point, that was exactly his biggest concern.

An hour later, Renee walked into the restaurant using all her acting skills to hide her nervousness. She had to appear confident and in control. At least she was wearing a forest-green summer dress she truly liked, which helped her feel better about herself. Then she saw him. Vladimir was already sitting by a table, drinking Vodka.

He was wearing a black suit with a white skirt and a black tie. His skin was red like a tomato. Obviously he had spent the last couple of days on his beach house. She approached him attentively. What would he say to her the first time they saw each other since…?. She tried to greet him naturally. "Hello, Vlad"

"Renee…" He smirked at her. "You are late. So I had to start drinking without you"

"Of course you had to" Renee stated unfazed as she took her seat. "I think I'll have…"

"Single malt scotch, right? I ordered one for you when I saw you coming" He had done it to brag about recalling her favorite drink. Then he caressed her knee. "You look like an African forest… colorful and wild"

She still found Vladimir's idea of a compliment odd. And his hand on her knee was sending her chills. She decided never to wear green again. As soon as her scotch came, she drank the content of the glass in about five seconds.

"You are nervous" He noticed, pleased to have that effect on her. "Because of what happened last time…"

"Let's not talk about that, please" she rushed to say, not hiding her desperation.

"Look, I hate what I had to do. But you kept pretending you don't want me, and that made me furious. Just… don't ever make me do something like that again"

The scariest part was that he seemed to believe his own words. Renee stared at him somewhat perplexed. Not that she had ever expected an apology from him. But acting as if he were the victim instead of her? She wanted to kill him. It was obvious she wasn't nearly drunk enough to put up with him. To calm herself down, she ordered another glass of Scotch, which came right away. She drank and felt more capable of pretending she was all right. "It's all in the past, Vlad." Then she lifted her glass a little. "Here's to being here tonight"

Vladimir smiled delighted. "Oh, I want to remember this night" He said as he took his cell phone and prepared it to take a picture of the two of them. He took a couple, but just as he made a final shot, something distracted him. He noticed a person he had been expecting walking into the restaurant.

"May I see them?" Renee asked innocently. Perhaps she could use it as an excuse to find some damming evidence in the cell phone. Vladimir gave it to her with an absent mind. She then looked at what he was looking. A man with black hair and a tall Russian woman with neatly combed light-brown hair were coming towards them.

The man stopped by Vladimir's table acting like he had just encountered an old acquaintance by accident. "Vladimir, how are you?"

Vladimir stood up and shook the man's hand. "Good. About to have dinner with my girl"

Now the man's eyes explored Vladimir's girl carefully. "Well, I hope you two have a pleasant evening"

"Thank you" Renee replied, feigning successfully a smile as she looked directly into that man's eyes.

"Thank you, Pavel. You too" Vladimir replied politely with a nod. When Pavel and the Russian girl left, Vladimir read a piece of paper the other man had given him during the handshake. Once he had memorized the instructions to deliver the weapons the other man had ordered, he sank the piece of paper on his drink making it unreadable.

**NOVEMBER ****2017 - ****Brooklyn – New York City **

He was having dinner when suddenly Leo noticed the lights of his house going on and off intermittently. It was his intruder sensor letting him know somebody was approaching his house. He checked his security cameras. It was a woman around his age, blonde with curls. Before she could knock the door, he got his automatic gun ready. In one quick motion, he opened the door, dragged the woman inside, and closed the door. The woman fell on her butt. He aimed his gun right at her head. "Don't say a word. Very slowly, stand up, turn around and put your hands against the wall" She did as she was told. He found her gun and an FBI badge: Agent Elizabeth Stockard. Still distrustful, Leo touched every inch of her body looking for hidden mics or cams.

"I better don't catch you smiling, Agent Craig" She muttered upset.

Angered, he made her turn around to face. "Does this look like something I do for fun, smartass? Now, tell me… How do you know who I am?" The FBI people who knew his location were very few, and none of them were allowed in his house, except Renee in case of emergency. "What are you doing here, Agent Stockard?"

Unfazed by Leo's idea of a welcome, she replied "Agent William Prady sent me. I've got Intel that'll interest you"

He looked at her suspiciously and then practically dragged her to some sort of hidden basement. She protested annoyed. "Hey, stop! Where are you taking me?"

"To the only place where we can talk freely" He explained not caring how uncomfortable she was. Once in the bunker, he relaxed just a little and began making coffee. "Agent Stockard, I don't have all night… so talk"

"If you don't trust me, why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm not the one who showed up at a guy's doorsteps jeopardizing his cover" Leo groaned rudely.

"I'm sorry about that" Liz sighed frustrated. William had said '_Leo's nice… once you get his trust_'. She wondered now who had ever gotten it. Regardless, she needed him to help her. So she told him what she knew. "Look, somebody within the Russian government is going to assist IRK rebels to take out President Hassan and smuggle nukes into the country. They want to sabotage the President Taylor's peace agreement."

"The Russians are co-signing this thing. If they are so strongly against the treaty, why not just walk out of the negotiation table?" As soon as he said those words, it hit him why, and he felt like a moron. "Of course, they won't admit being against the boldest peace accord in decades. But if you have Intel about an assassination plot… go to your superiors and report it. What do you want from me?"

Getting a bit awkward, she admitted "the thing is, when I said I have 'Intel'… it was a gross overstatement."

"What do you have then?" Leo said while handing a cup of coffee to Liz and next drinking some himself.

She took her cup of coffee feeling somewhat surprised that Agent Craig now acted as if they were discussing a movie or their hobbies rather than an assassination plot. She tried to match his cool demeanor. "A woman I know told me about this because I'm the only one who would believe her. She… she's in a mental institution for stabbing her ex husband." She realized how that had sounded, so she rushed to clarify "But she's telling me the truth"

"How do you know that?" He asked in the same tone he would ask '_how stupid are you?'_

"At first I just promised to look into it to humor her. But then I found this…" She showed him some files she had on her PDA. "This money was taken from the Russian Foreign Ministry budget and sent to an account in Switzerland. The account's under some alias. The thing is… two days after I found it somebody tried to take me out" She looked at the man somberly. "I do mostly intelligence work, with computers. I have no enemies. Would they have tried to kill me if I hadn't hit too close to home?" Then getting tearful, she added "I have a seven year old son. I sent him with my parents to Florida indefinitely. I'm taking a huge risk because I believe this is serious"

Leo was making a huge effort to remain distant. He couldn't afford to care about Liz's personal history. He had vowed never to mix work and emotions again. Apparently cold, he kept drinking his coffee. "I think you did hit too close to home, sadly. I've heard whispers that a Russian organization called Red Square is about to smuggle nuclear materials into the country. Now, that doesn't make much sense, because they wouldn't deal with those things. However, I've recently learned that a man called Pavel Tokarev is in the Red Square and also does dirty work for the SVR. He might be some sort of liaison between the mob and the Russian government."

"Because they'd want the Red Square to take the fall if something goes wrong."She guessed, and then wondered out loud "But what does the mob win with this?" Then she rolled her eyes and shook her head realizing her own question had been stupid. "Of course the answer is money… what else? So, can you help me?"

Leo twisted his mouth doubtfully. "I've been trying to get under with the Red Square for years, to no avail. Pavel just gives me some task every now and then. I didn't even meet him in person until last year."

"How close have you gotten to the Russians exactly?" She inquired with curiosity. Then out of the blue, Leo began taking off his sweater, so she freaked out. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

He clucked, somewhat amused. "I'll just show you my cover, okay?" He exposed the tattoos on his chest, back and arms. "Now, for the Russians I'm Aleksandr Petrovsky. What can you tell me about Aleck?"

She realized he was testing her knowledge, which she didn't mind. Pointing at the tiger on the left upper side of his chest she said "you have brutally assaulted a police officer or some authority figure" After that she checked out the bat on this upper right side. "You steal at night". She was a bit surprised by the skull on his abdomen "You are known for murdering". Next she took notice of the single cat with a hat on his back. "This means you are lucky and that nobody should mess with you…" Then she examined more carefully the tattoo of a spider climbing a net on his chest "this is tricky… it can mean you are struggling with a drug addiction, or that you are an active criminal".

Leo nodded satisfied, with a hint of a smile. Then he put his t-shirt and sweater back on. Once fully dressed, he made his point "But, as you saw, I'm not a member of any organization… I haven't gotten inside the Red Square. I couldn't even prove they exist"

"But you can keep working with Tokarev. If he is connected to the SVR…"

"They'll use him for this assassination plot at some point" He said what they were both thinking. But then he looked at her skeptically. "Now, you have to be honest with me. Who is your source?"

"Martha Logan" She confessed sheepishly, while avoided his gaze and stirred her coffee.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Leo exclaimed in a loud '_you better be kidding_' tone.

She looked up and stared directly into Leo's eyes. "She assures me Charles Logan has evidence of the Russian conspiracy to kill Hassan. He's hiding it for his own convenience. If only we could get that evidence…"

Leo kept a finger on his mouth pondering about the situation he found himself in. It seemed like a crazy theory. But what if it was the truth? He couldn't do anything without evidence. But he could at least try to find out what was really going on. At that moment, he got a text message from William '_I'm in if you are, kiddo_'. He half-smiled. "Okay. William believes you. That means a lot to me. So I'll help you investigate this thing. But, Stockard… you know how dangerous this can be. We have to work in the most absolute secret for now. Who knows about this?"

"I've only talked to William because I've known him since he trained me in Quantico. I knew I could trust him"

"Good, we could use his help" He said nodding. Then he became grave. "You should know this kind of makes you my first partner in about six years. Don't make me regret that, Stockard"

"I won't, Craig" she promised solemnly as she shook his hand.

**M****AY 21****st**** 2018**

**08:54**** AM - Chelsea, Manhattan – Jack's apartment **

With her body wrapped in Jack's white sheet, Renee attempted to step outside the bedroom to tell him what Chloe had just told her over the phone. Just as she was by the doorway, completely out of the blue, Jack panicked, jumped quickly towards her and pulled her down to the ground yelling "Renee, no!".

As Renee's head hit the wooden floor, she wondered what the hell was going on. Then she saw it. One perfectly rounded hole in the glass of Jack's window. "Jack?" To her horror, Jack rolled onto his back and began panting for air with a lot of difficulty and coughing bright red blood. There was also blood from a wound on his chest damping his white shirt. "Oh, no… Jack… no" she moaned in desperate denial. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be happening.

For him it was so extremely hard just to breathe. The chest pain he felt was extremely intense. For the second time in less than six hours, he was sure he would die soon. Except his time he had indeed gotten hit by a bullet. He gasped for air feeling pained and scared. This would really be it. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave her. He had so much to tell her and so little time left. But no words could actually come out his mouth. While struggling to say some last words, all he could actually do was whisper softly "Renee…"

She helped him sit leaning his back against the side of the bed. Renee tried to stay at least calm enough to handle the crisis and touched his cheek lovingly. "Don't talk. We are going to a hospital". Then she immediately picked up Jack's cell phone. Chloe was still on the other side of the line, desperately asking what was happening. "Chloe? It's me. Jack's been hit by a sniper through the window of his apartment. We need to get to a hospital now"

"Oh, God" Chloe muttered, as she tried not to cry and focus on helping. "Okay, I'm directing a team of paramedics. They'll take you to Saint Andrew's hospital, the nearest one. Can you wait there?"

"We can. It's clear now" She assured her, the shooter had now stopped. What was going on? It was all very confusing, but at the moment, the only certainty was that Jack needed to get to a hospital urgently. "Please, just send help now" She hung the phone and held Jack's hand. "Hold on, Jack. Stay with me"

While coughing desperate for air, Jack tried to lift his arm and point to Renee's cell phone. Somebody knew what was going on and Renee needed to call that person soon.

Then Renee saw her cell phone on the floor. She guessed Jack had it during the shooting for some reason. Now it seemed he wanted her to pick it up. "It'll be okay" She tried to sound reassuring, but failed to hide her panic. She picked up her phone and saw the text message: '_Sniper positioned across Jack's apartment. Duck for cover_.' Right away, she called the number that had come from. When her call was taken, she barked angrily "Who's this?"

"Renee? It's me. Were you hit?" Leo asked anxiously.

"Leo? How…? What the…?" She muttered truly perplexed. Then she demanded furiously an explanation. "What the hell is going on?" As she talked, she grabbed her jeans and t-shirt, and put them on hastily while juggling between looking at Jack and holding her cell.

"I'll explain everything. But look, I got the sniper." Indeed, his partner had gotten the sniper, but there would be time for due credit later. And by her tone he guessed Renee was shaken up, but not hurt. "How's Jack?"

"He was hit" She replied trying to keep her voice from breaking. Then she ordered Leo with a firm tone "Meet me at Saint Andrew's hospital". She hung up the phone without bothering to wait for an answer. Then she sighed staring desperately in direction to the front door, as if that could bring the paramedics any faster. After that she looked at Jack. He looked so pale and there was too much blood coming from his wound. She quickly ripped apart a piece of the sheet and used it to pressure his injure and stop the bleeding. Then she held him and kissed his forehead. His face had tiny drops of sweat all over it. It terrified her to her very core. Trying to appear strong and confident, she told him "You'll be all right. Just stay with me". Then she pleaded whispering "stay with me"

But Jack felt weaker every passing second. So much weaker. Even though he was sitting with his back against the side of his bed and Renee was holding him, he felt like in free fall, with no ground beneath him. Everything around him turned suddenly blurred. He couldn't see Renee well anymore. But he wanted to look at her. He wanted to take a good look at her beautiful face and gorgeous eyes one last time.

Finally, the sirens of the ambulance could be heard not very far away. "Jack, they are almost here…" she whined desperately. She needed him to hold on just a little bit longer. But Renee realized she was losing him. His eyes looked unfocused, which was a very bad sign. Practically piercing his eyes with hers, she tried to take him out from his disoriented state. "Hold on, Jack. You can make it"

He could hear her voice but shook his head. He felt he was dying. He wouldn't be able to make it.

"We are gonna make it", Renee whispered trying to convince him not to give up, saying 'we' because if he didn't make it, she certainly wouldn't. Then she repeated more firmly "we are gonna make it". Then she kissed his forehead again, right before rushing to open the door for the paramedics.

Two male paramedics hurried to get to Jack and carefully put him on a gurney. They checked his wound, his vitals and put an oxygen mask on him. Then they carried him on the gurney to the street, where the ambulance was waiting for them. As soon as she could, Renee sat next to him inside the ambulance, holding his hand tightly. As she restrained her tears she kept holding his hand between hers as if that could keep him with her.

Suddenly, Jack seemed truly agitated and tried to get his mask off and get up as a paramedic restrained him. "It's okay, Mr. Bauer… you were shot but we'll take care of you".

Then Jack babbled while he still struggled for air something which sounded like "They have my family, senator".

Noticing Jack's confusion, a paramedic checked the patient's pupils, which were dilated and then read the pulse oximeter. It said the oxygen saturation in blood was 'eighty five' and dropping, when the normal would be ninety. The heart rate was 120 BPM. "He's in shock" the paramedic stated while applying in the IV a combined solution of colloids and crystalloids, so the patient could hold on until the blood transfusion.

**08:58**** AM – Saint Andrew's hospital **

A trauma team was prepared and waiting for the ambulance near the hospital's entrance. CTU acting Director O'Brian had just sent the patient's medical chart and instructed to give him priority care. The team wheeled the patient towards the surgical area of the hospital, while the paramedic followed them expositing the situation. "Single gunshot wound, left fifth intercostal space. No exit wound. Pulse 120. BP 80 over 50. Pulse OX is 84 in 15 liters. Decreasing breath sounds. Disoriented"

"O.R. five is prepped" A nurse announced. So they headed to that OR.

"Call the blood bank. We need four units of O negative. And I'll need a chest tube tray, 32 French." The trauma surgeon ordered one of his interns. Then he addressed his patient nicely "We're gonna take care of you".

Renee instinctively followed the gurney, not wanting to stay far away from Jack. Everything she had heard the paramedics and the doctor say had only increased her concern. But as they reached the door of the OR, a blonde nurse turned around and told her "ma'am, you need to stay here".

Feeling horribly powerless, she watched the doctors and nurses disappear with Jack behind that door. Her entire body was trembling like a sheet of paper. For a long moment she just stared at the closed door with sad desperation. Her heart was screaming loudly _'Jack, wait, don't leave me'_. She felt like a huge knot on her throat, her eyes started filling up with tears. She wanted so badly to call after him, as if that could make him magically come back to her side. She couldn't lose him. He couldn't die on her now.

**At the same time… inside the office across Jack's apartment **

"Who ordered you to kill Renee Walker?" Leo kept asking to no avail while giving the Russian electric shots.

"Go to hell" Pavel replied.

Totally unaffected, Leo took a knife and cut a piece of Pavel's left lobule. As the Russian cried in pain, Leo just went for the other one as he yelled "I've got morphine… all the pain can go away if you tell me what I want to know"

But Pavel just spitted at him on the face. Leo cleaned the spit with disgust. Then he grabbed the electric pistol and put it right in Pavel's neck. "You truly suck at what you do. You are an idiot, Pavel. But I'm sure you know an electric shock right there would leave you paralyzed… so stop screwing with me! Give me the name of the Russian pig in your government who ordered you to kill Renee Walker"

Pavel wanted the other man to just kill him already. Given the current circumstances, the best for him would be to die quickly. "Nobody ordered me to kill that horny bitch!"

Elizabeth, who was guarding by the door, turned around startled as she heard those words and watched worriedly at her partner. Leo would flip out completely, and they still needed that Russian bastard alive.

Predictably, Leo got so infuriated that he began beating the crap out of the Russian scum, in spite of Liz's protests. But then he realized he had to control himself. He had to make him suffer a lot, then paralyze him, and then kill him. With Pavel on the ground, he picked up a knife and chopped the Russian's little finger with one quick motion. Over the Russian's screams, which he muffed with a towel, Leo yelled "You have nine more, Pavel. Plus ten toes. So I'd choose my words more carefully. Who do you work for?"

There was no response at all. Then Leo shook his head whispering to himself "this is pointless". Pavel had a tattoo on his arm, the white broken cross inside a black triangle, symbol of the Red Square. It was a symbol which meant '_You can break our arms, you can break every bone in our body. We'll never talk.' _So he asked the Russian rhetorically "You won't give me any information, won't you?"

"Craig, we are running out of time, CTU agents must be on their way" Liz pointed out anxiously. They couldn't be found by CTU right there and then. They had to talk to Renee first of all. They didn't know who else they could trust to help them discover the full extent of the conspiracy and find the remaining proves of it.

"You are the luckiest bastard I've met, I'll have to be quick" He told Pavel as he forced him to stand up next to the window. Next Leo aimed the riffle at Pavel and used it as a big stick, hitting harshly and drily Pavel's stomach with it, sending the Russian flying right through the open window. '_That's gotta hurt_' Leo thought pleased.

After overcoming her astonishment, Liz ran towards the window to look down horrified. "Oh, my God, Craig! Are you insane?" Pavel had fallen three floors and hit the ground where people gathered around him in sock.

Leo ignored her outrage and just began gathering his things plus Pavel's cell phone. "Let's go, Stockard. We have to get the hell out of here now"

Both agents left hastily with their big backpacks. On a lower floor, they broke into another office. A plaque in the door said it was an accountant's office and that it was open from nine thirty. They needed a place where Leo could change his bloody clothes and wash himself to avoid calling too much attention. Fortunately, nobody was there yet. So Leo changed into a suit. Then he put on a dark brown wig with a matching fake mustache and reading glasses. Meanwhile, Liz changed her short brown wig for one with long black hair.

**At that same time… **

Jason Pillar had to admire his boss. Former President Charles Logan had gotten his way. After Hassan got killed, President Taylor became so desperate to save the peace process that she had asked Logan's assistance. Jason pointed out casually "Seems scheduling that speech in Columbia was a stroke of good luck, sir"

With a smirk on his face, Charles replied "There's no luck. Only readiness to seize an opportunity"

Jason had read something of the sort in 'The Art of War', so he guessed "I know who said that. Sun Tzu?"

"Charles Logan", the former president corrected arrogantly and then laughed believing himself truly witty.

Jason clucked. Knowing how much his boss loved praise, he said "Anyway, your speech went certainly well"

"Yeah… yes… it really did." Charles said proudly. A lot of people had gone to hear his speech in Columbia the day before. He could hardly believe he had gotten so many compliments and applauses. "They loved me"

"That was just a preview, sir. Wait until you deliver the peace accord on a platter. You'll be a hero" Jason knew exactly what his boss wanted to hear, he could guess exactly what Logan was dreaming about.

"I like the sound of that." He smirked again. And then he added "I'm so excited to have a _proper_ ceremony at my presidential library after this is all over". He emphasized the word proper. He wasn't over that the dedication ceremony of the Charles Logan presidential library had been a disgrace. But now things were looking up for him.

"Did Taylor agree to the conditions?" Jason inquired worriedly. Apparently, Allison Taylor had agreed to let Logan blackmail the Russians into signing the peace agreement without knowing what he had against them. And she had agreed to give Logan credit for saving the accord. But that really didn't sound like Taylor.

"Of course… She didn't really have any choice" Logan explained.

Jason knew Taylor was in a shitty position and absolutely desperate to make the peace process happen. So he guessed that had made her more 'open minded'. But now they were heading to the Russian embassy to deal with the Russian Foreign minister. That made him somewhat nervous. "I doubt that Novakovich will be as amenable"

"The guy is as much a cupcake politician as he was a… cupcake minister in the KGB. I think he isn't going to be any obstacle. Besides he knows I'm not afraid to go over his head to Suvarov." Logan had known Mikhail for years. The guy wasn't nearly as tough as he looked. That Russian was all about negotiating, keeping up the appearances and compromising before letting things get too ugly. The former president pondered out loud about the strategy to follow. "I think I'll let him sweat for a few minutes. Then he'll be in perfect position to agree with my proposal"

"You don't think he'll be prepared for that angle?" Jason feared his boss was getting over confident. Novakovich probably expected Logan's blackmail and was ready to neutralize it somehow.

"No, I think he's expecting… photos of his vacations with his mistress, those shots of his son's drug use in that club in Moscow. No… I don't think he's expecting us to have this Intel" Logan reassured his executive assistant.

"I think we should come up with a contingency plan. Just in case" Jason suggested prudently.

"No need, Jason." Logan said firmly, with a serious look that said _'stop being such a party pooper'_. Things were going too well to worry about a contingency plan. "Everything is happening just the way it should." He pointed out. He had played his cards well, knowing exactly when to show them. He then reminded Jason "I've waited too long. I've waited patiently for the moment to employ this Intel in hopes of resurrecting my political career and, primary, redeeming myself in the eyes of my country". By saying that, he hoped to make clear to Jason than any other plan was unacceptable to him. Then he added firmly "I will not let this plan fail. I cannot"

**09:****05**** AM – Saint Andrew's hospital**

Feeling terribly useless, Renee was sitting in a hospital chair, waiting for somebody to inform her about Jack's state. She kept shooting nervous glances at the white door with the sign which said '_operating room 5_'. It remained closed. She nervously rubbed the back of her left hand with her right one, and the back of her right hand with her left one. Over and over again. She looked down and noticed her hands were still tainted with Jack's blood. So was her t-shirt. One tear rolled from her eye down her cheek and her entire body began again trembling like jelly.

She was feeling like in that nightmare about her dad. She had dreamt several times that she was happy with her father on a plane until it was hit by a missile. In that dream the plane kept falling even though Captain Walker struggled hard to control it and all Renee knew for certain was that the end was coming.

Out of the blue, her cell phone went off, somewhat startling her. This wasn't a nightmare. Jack had truly been shot. She was truly powerless. When she saw it was Chloe she took the call with a shaky voice "yeah?"

"Renee? It's Chloe. How is he?" Chloe was also going out of her mind with concern.

"Not good" Renee whined softly. She could barely hide her fear and desperation. "The doctors are working on him. But nobody tells me anything." She hated feeling so helpless. She was going crazy. She had to do something. "Chloe, I think there's a connection to what you told me over the phone"

Chloe wished badly to be able to be with Jack and Renee at that moment. But her job made that impossible. She said sadly "We are still looking into it. Don't worry about that now. Just… be with him"

"I can't be with him… he's in surgery" She said brusquely, trying to in vain to conceal her desperation. She was falling apart. She couldn't stand feeling so useless. "Is there any clue about who did this?"

Chloe swallowed hard her angst and took a few deep breaths, a technique she had once mocked but ultimately realized it helped. After years of deep pain and heartbreaking loses she had learnt to handle a crisis with a cold head. "The shots were fired from an office across the street. PD reported finding a body at the scene, and a riffle." Then she made a short awkward pause and added something she found truly strange. "Also… a man got pushed from the office. He survived and is being taken to the hospital in a very bad shape"

"What? Do you have an ID?" Renee had a very bad feeling about the entire thing.

"No, but he has those tattoos you talked about earlier. He's from the Red Square" Chloe was desperate to understand what was going on. Was it about retaliation for Jack earlier busting Sergei Bazhaev?

Renee was having a hard time processing the information she kept getting. But next she spotted Leo approaching with a woman, and then one possibility came to her mind. "Chloe, that guy must be the shooter"

"If he's is the shooter, who tried to kill him?" It was one of the many questions that kept popping in Chloe's head.

"I'm gonna have to call you back" Renee babbled as she stared at Leo. Since she couldn't do anything for Jack, she needed to understand what had happened. Immediately after hanging up, she walked towards him.

"Hey, how is he? Is he going to be fine?" he was extremely worried since he knew how important Jack was for Renee.

"I don't know" She admitted with a shaky voice, struggling to stop the river of tears that threatened with coming up from her eyes. "They are still working on him, nobody is telling me anything"

Leo noticed that nervous blinking of hers and her lower lips trembling, an obvious sign that she wanted badly to cry but was trying to appear strong. He wished to offer some consolation. "I think… I think that's a good sign. They are still trying to help him. That means they can. I'm sure he gets through this"

Probably, in different circumstances, she would have allowed her friend to hold her as she cried. But at that moment, she needed to know the truth. "Just tell me who did that to him, Leo. What the hell is going on?"

Liz discretely backed away to give them privacy and keep a vigilant eye on whoever got anywhere near them. Leo led gently Renee to a chair and made her sit down as he showed her a picture he had on his PDA. "This man is Pavel Tokarev. He shot Jack... He's from the Red Square…"

But she wasn't paying attention to his words. She was looking at the picture, horrified. "It's him… I saw him posing as an EMT where Hassan got killed. Vladimir introduced him to me" As she recalled that dinner, she felt Vladimir's hand on her knee and saw his smirk. She flinched feeling sick. Then Leo's voice snapped her back to reality.

"He works for the mob and the SVR. He was sent there to kill Samir and cover that somebody in the Russian government assisted the IRK opposition"

That was a lot of information to process in such short time. The first thing that came to her head was that none of that was related to Jack. "But why did he want Jack dead? He didn't even…" She was about to say _'he didn't even know him'_, but was suddenly hit by a harsh realization. "I… I knew him. Jack wasn't the target, wasn't he?" Her friend just stared sadly in silence. So Renee just repeated almost robotically. "Jack wasn't the target"

Leo shook his head as his heart ached for what was happening to her. "Pavel thought you'd recognized him at the crime scene, so somebody we couldn't ID ordered him to kill you… you were his primary target." Right after that, he added truly mortified "When I tried to stop him he took me hostage, I'm so sorry"

The only thing Renee understood was that everything had been her fault. After everything she had already put him through now Jack had been shot because of her past. But she couldn't react in any way. She couldn't even move at all or cry. Before she could overcome her shock, the door of the OR opened. Renee saw one of the youngest doctors walking towards her, a Latina-looking short woman with brown hair and eyes.

Finally, Renee summoned somehow the strength she needed to stand up and face whatever the doctor had to say.

Dr. Patricia Torres was a first year resident who was sent to inform about Mr. Bauer's condition. She approached the woman who had come in the ambulance with him. She had _that_ look on her face. She had seen it many times before. It was look that pleaded in silent desperation '_no,_ _don't tell me…_' To put her more at ease, Patricia rushed to give the good news first. "Mr. Bauer is stable at the moment" The woman sighed slightly relieved for a second but then stared at the doctor expectantly, knowing there was more, a '_but_' was coming. Patricia proceeded with the explanation "The bullet lacerated his lung, causing a hemopneumothorax. It means blood and air in the chest cavity. We have to remove the bullet and repair the damage"

"Will he…? Will he be fine after that?" Renee felt her entire life depended on the answer to that question.

"There's no way to know this soon, unfortunately. But we need a relative's consent to start the procedure right away. Are you his wife?"

"No" Renee replied sadly, thinking Jack's wife had been a much better person who would have never done this to him. "He… he has a daughter… but she's in Los Angeles. I can call her" The doctor nodded encouraging her to do that. Renee searched Kim's number in Jack's cell memory. But then she froze, realizing how Kim would react. "No… I can't call her… Somebody should, just not me"

"Would you prefer it if I talked to her?" the doctor offered gently.

"Yeah, please" Renee nodded and after dialing Kim's cell number she handed the phone to the doctor as if it were burning. Then she walked towards Leo with her arms folded tightly across her chest. Then she stared at her friend with the most shocked face Leo had ever seen in her. "They are calling his daughter… Jack is in surgery with a bullet on his chest… a bullet with my name… it should be me in there" at that point she couldn't take it anymore and broke down in uncontrollable sobs as her friend held her.

Merely two minutes later, Liz approached them feeling truly bad for having to interrupt with some bad news right at that moment. But sadly, it was a very urgent matter. "I'm sorry, there's something you both should know" Leo and Renee looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on. "They've just brought a John Doe… who was pushed through a window… head and spinal trauma… a finger chopped off…" Looking directly at Leo, she announced gravely "Craig… it's him"

"What?" Leo was absolutely outraged. Pavel had survived the three-floor fall? "Damn it! Lucky bastard!"

Renee brushed the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and got a somber expression in her face. She was determined to make whoever had hurt Jack pay. But first, she realized she still needed to understand many things. "I'll take care of that… but first, Leo, I believe you have some explaining to do"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please, tell me what you think)**


	15. There is a tide part one

**IMPORTANT** **NEWS! **"Everything went downhill from there" is a series now (more about this is explained in the AN. of the introduction). I was originally planning to make it simply a long story... and since it was long, the focus and the topics of the story changed a lot around chapter 16. So, a reviewer called Jack Napier advised me to split the story because of that reason. After thinking about it, I realized it was actually a great idea. THANKS, Jack!

It took me this long to update this PART TWO because I was focused on editing PART ONE. That was not planned… But as I did the splitting of the story, I suddenly started thinking on ways to improve what I had previously done… and well, one thing left to another… I couldn't help myself. I apologize for those who have been patiently waiting for the story to move forward. On the other hand, I'm happier with the results now, I think the additions and the changes were for the better. (I know I'm a bit neurotic with the editing of the story, but I'm glad you don't mind).

THANKS to ALL my lovely readers for the support, the great reviews and the patience.

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**Pavel Tokarev (A SVR operative) was sent to kill Hassan's assassin to cover the Russians' involvement in the assassination. He runs into Renee, who he had once met as 'Vladimir's girl'. He thinks she recognized him but is not sure. His superior eventually confirms that Pavel's orders are to take her and Jack out.

Liz stops Pavel with an electric shot, but he had gotten to fire his rifle once.

Leo tries to get information from Pavel, after realizing he won't be able to, he throws him off a window. Pavel survives the fall and gets taken to the hospital.

Jack gets hit in the chest and needs surgery. Renee is terrified to lose him. But tries to be strong and remain in control. When she learns she was the primary target of the shooter, whom she had met because of Vladimir, she blames herself for Jack's situation. She demands more information from Leo and plans to take out Pavel herself.

**Next:** Renee learns everything Leo and Liz know about the Russians. She tries to handle the situation the best she can, even though she can barely hold herself together. President Taylor learns about the Russian conspiracy and realizes there's only one way to save her peace process.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 15:**

**THERE IS A TIDE (part one)**

**09:****15**** AM – Saint Andrew's hospital**

"I'm sorry, there's something you both should know", Liz interrupted them feeling very awkward for doing so. Leo and Renee looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on. "They've just brought a John Doe… who was pushed through a window… head and spinal trauma… a finger chopped off…" Looking directly at Leo, she paused and announced gravely "Craig… it's him"

"What?" Leo was absolutely outraged. Pavel had survived the three-floor fall? How? "Damn it! Lucky bastard!"

Renee brushed the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and got a somber expression in her face. She was determined to make whoever had hurt Jack pay. But first, she still needed to understand many things. "I'll take care of that… but first, Leo, I believe you have some explaining to do"

But before Leo could say a word, Dr. Patricia Torres had to interrupt to hand Renee her cell phone back. "Ms. Bauer authorized the surgery, but she wants to speak with you… I have to head back to the OR. Excuse me"

Renee nodded understandably and took the cell phone. "Kim?"

"Ms. Walker? Steve is taking me to the airport soon. They said you were there during the shooting? Who did it?" Kim was quickly putting some things on a bag as she spoke quickly and coldly. It was confusing that Renee was with her father even though they had supposedly broken up. But she didn't care about that for the moment. The most important thing for her was to know who had hurt her dad and why.

"I can't explain that over the phone" She didn't hesitate before saying that with a firm tone. First, Kim would be safer without knowing the truth about the Russians. Second, she wasn't speaking on a secured line. The last thing Renee wanted was to cause even more harm to Jack and his family. "Actually, Kim… you shouldn't even come here for now. It's not safe"

Kimberly Bauer had been involved in CTU's world long enough to know what Renee's words most likely meant. Only for confirmation, she asked "is my father still a target?"

Renee instinctively looked in direction to the OR's closed door. It was only a matter of time. The Russians would know Pavel had failed. Soon, somebody else would be sent to correct that mistake. She nodded biting her lower lip to prevent bursting in tears. She swallowed hard and replied softly "yes". But then she added firmly, with a lot of determination "but I'm gonna fix this, Kim. I swear I will make it right"

"I'll be there in the next fight I get." Kim replied coldly and fast before hanging up. If her dad was still a target, so was everyone he cared about. But she desperately needed to see him, regardless. This time she couldn't help him at all. But if everything went right, she could be by his side after the surgery and during his recovery.

"I think you should…" Renee was about to tell her to wait until the threat was neutralized. But it was too late. Kim had already hung up on her. She stared at the phone momentarily frozen and chastised, as if the devise had shot pulverizing guilt-rays at her. Then, struggling not to cry, she looked at Leo and explained "that… that was Jack's daughter…" Then Renee bit her lip and blinked nervously. "Okay, you heard me… I have to fix this mess… tell me everything you know"

"Here?" Leo looked around nervously. It wasn't exactly the best place to discuss what they needed to discuss.

Liz stepped up. They definitely needed to be far more discreet. She suggested Renee nicely "You and Leo should talk in a less public place… I'll watch Jack" Then she patted the side of her pants where she kept handy her automatic. She added reassuringly "if somebody comes after him, I'll take care of it"

For the very first time, Renee actually noticed the blonde woman, who was a stranger, hanging in there. Practically scanning the other woman with her eyes, Renee asked "And who are you?"

"Agent Elizabeth Stockard" Liz was about to flash her badge to earn Renee's trust, out of habit, but she was no longer carrying it, since she was undercover. So she explained awkwardly "Craig's partner"

Renee looked at Leo, who nodded backing that up. If Agent Leon _'house-with-a-bunker'_ Craig actually trusted that woman, so would Renee. "Fine"

Liz handed Leo her big backpack whispering, "I have clothes and a pair of shoes she can borrow".

Leo took it nodding in appreciation, and then handed his partner his own backpack whispering back "anybody so much as stares wrongly and you shoot to kill, understand?"

Liz nodded solemnly. Leo was satisfied and led Renee to an empty hospital bedroom. After searching for hiding microphones or cameras and finding none, he began explaining "The Russians are against the peace agreement because it would weaken them in the region… But they didn't want to be openly against it… so, somebody in the Russian government plotted to sabotage it by assisting Hassan's opponents."

"For how long have you known this? And… how?"

"I've been working undercover with Pavel for two years. But… I found out about this last November"

"And you sent me that information about Dana Walsh earlier today, didn't you?" Renee recalled somebody had tried to warn her about Dana being a mole earlier. She had suspected it had been Leo. Now she could confirm it.

Technically, that had been Liz. But Leo knew that was irrelevant at this point. "Yeah… she's been working for the SVR since she left prison. And they got her into CTU months ago. But that's something I learned this morning. After she argued with Pavel, he put me in charge of dealing with her…I had to make sure she completed her assignment, recover some evidence she has about the Russians and then take her out"

Nothing truly shocked Renee about that. She began connecting in her head all the information she had about Dana Walsh, which was just now starting to make sense. That explained why Dana had been able to alter her identity. There was just something Renee still couldn't get. "She believed somebody had gotten_ me_ into CTU to take her out. She took me hostage before getting caught… She thought I was working for the Russians too…"

Leo was completely thrown aback by Dana's twisted interpretation of reality. He had not seen that coming. He bit his lower lip and shook his head in disbelief. He had screwed up, and big time. He decided to come clean with Renee. He led her so they could both sit in the tip of the hospital bed as he explained what had happened "Look… Dana called me yesterday, after the first attempted hit on Hassan failed. She told me CTU was about to find out about the Russian mob and start hunting for the nuclear rods. So I… I told her to call you… so you could be a part of that hunt… But I never told her you worked with me… I just told her to call you"

"Why?" Renee just spitted, completely shocked by that new information and looking at Leo betrayed.

"I needed… I had to make sure those nuclear rods were found by the right people… and you were the only I knew who could do that… I needed to get somebody I could trust inside CTU without risking my cover." Then he tried to soften her by adding truthfully "and I also thought a second chance would be good for you"

He didn't need to add a second chance for what. But given how everything had ended, she was far from caring at all about his original intentions. Renee just gave him a '_how could you?_' look as she shook her head. When she finally spoke, her tone was soft but sharp. "So you purposely dragged me into this mess without telling me a damn thing? What…? What were you thinking?"

"I didn't want to put you in danger" Leo babbled honestly, but not wisely, as he stood up to walk towards her with a _'please don't hate me'_ look.

"You didn't mean…?" Renee gasped in absolute disbelief. Was he kidding her? She looked like about to strangle him. She had never been as angry with Leo before. "But you put me … _and Jack_ in danger… he became part of the operation to recover the nuclear rods because _I _was a part of it… and you made me a part of it… Damn it, Leo! Do you have any idea of the things Jack has gone through in the past thirteen hours? And now he's… he still could…" Then she got too chocked up to continue talking.

"I'm truly sorry… I am… I never meant for you or Jack to get hurt. I had no idea… I didn't know. How could I have known?" He couldn't highlight that enough. He had never wanted Renee to get hurt. It made him feel so horrible to see her so distressed. But he finished talking and Renee's tears turned into steel so fast that he could almost hear them banging the floor. The cold expression in her light blue eyes sent a shiver through his spine.

She seemed disturbingly calm as she pointed out "You could have at least told me what was going on. If you needed me in this operation you should have asked me. I would have helped you. But I would have been better prepared. I would have known who Pavel was". At that point Renee felt about to lose it. She quickly stood up and headed to the bathroom, but before reaching the door she turned around, her eyes were shooting daggers at him. If only he had warned her, she could have done a lot of things differently. "If you had told me everything you knew, I would have helped you… and I would have done it right"

Then she rushed into the adjoining bathroom, slamming the door behind her and leaning against it. Yes, she was angry at Leo for secretly triggering her involvement with CTU. But, frankly, that was nothing compared with how mad she was at herself.

It didn't really matter who had gotten her involved in the mess, _she_ had dragged Jack into it. _She _had gone crazy and stabbed Jack. _She_ had failed to pledge self-defense forcing Jack to work for CTU to get her off the hook. _She_ had failed to recognize Pavel. She froze for a moment staring at her hands. Her hands were tainted with Jack's blood. She could wash it. But nothing would ever wash away the harm that being with her had caused him. She despised herself as much as she despised all the other people who had also hurt Jack.

Renee fell apart sobbing uncontrollably as she sat defeated on the bathroom floor.

What was she doing? How was her crying helping? She had to pull herself together. They were in a huge mess. Renee couldn't just cry and do nothing. That was pathetic. _'Okay, Walker. You already screwed up big. That's done. You can whine like a baby about it, or you can fix it. You got him into this mess, now figure out how to get him out. You can whine like a baby or make things right', _Renee scolded herself mentally. Then she put a hand on her neck. She touched the silver necklace with her name. It was still hanging there, reminding her she had to be tough.

Leo was still sitting on the tip of the hospital bed like a puppy that had just been harshly reprimanded. When Renee came out the bathroom, now with her face and hands clean, he gave a sad _'I know I did wrong but please don't hate me'_ stare. With no other idea, he offered tentatively "I can help you and Jack disappear"

"Maybe I'll disappear…" She nodded in agreement. She probably should. But Jack, on the other hand, deserved to be happy with his family. And she would make sure to give him the chance. So she rushed to add "tomorrow. I still have a job to do… but I should change my clothes and put some shoes on first… I look pathetic"

The almost complete lack of emotion in her voice gave him the creeps. He would much rather see her screaming, cursing, breaking things and crying. But Leo just nodded too stunned and sad to say anything as he handed her Elizabeth's clean clothes and pair of sneakers.

Renee took them and began changing, while she was at it, she groaned "For God's sake. Don't waste time and tell me what else you know already"

Leo was too scared of _that_ Renee to contradict her.

**09:****30**** AM **

Liz was sitting down on one of the chairs next to the door of the OR, with her laptop on her lap. She had gotten access to the hospital's security cameras and was monitoring for any suspicious activity outside. So far, nothing unusual had happened. She saw Renee coming towards with Leo behind.

Renee just sat next to the other woman and ordered sharply "bring me up to speed"

Liz was at first thrown aback by other woman's sudden rudeness. But given the circumstances, she had to let it go and just fulfill her task. "They told me Jack's surgery is likely to last about nine hours… and Pavel is in the ICU, still as John Doe"

In a heartbeat, Renee called Chloe's cell phone.

Back at CTU, Chloe saw who was calling her and picked up immediately, "Renee? How's Jack doing?"

"The surgery's just started. I don't know" She admitted painfully, but then quickly tried to get back to crisis-solving mode. "Look, I need to talk to Hastings. It's urgent"

A bit awkwardly, Chloe began offering "Tell me if you need anything …"

"I need to speak with Hastings now", Renee interrupted her rudely.

Chloe understood Renee was just very nervous and upset because of Jack's situation. But she was under a lot of stress also. "I was about to tell you… division's replaced Hastings… with me"

"Oh…I see" Now Renee felt like an idiot for not seeing that one coming. Brian Hastings had taken the fall for all the mistakes made by CTU NY that had lead to Hassan's death. And, naturally, they had replaced him with the one experienced person who had not screwed up in the last eighteen hours. It was actually a relief to know they would have her help. She then explained gravely "Listen, Chloe… I need you to send a team to the hospital". Barely managing to keep her voice from breaking, she added "They… they might try another hit on Jack soon"

That was one scary possibility Chloe had already thought about. "A team is already on the way. They should be there in ten minutes. But what's going on? Who are _'they'_?"

"I can't get into it over the phone. I'll tell you everything in person and hand you all Intel I have… but I can't leave the hospital until I know Jack's safe from them. You are gonna have to trust me until then". Then she said with her most fatal tone yet "Chloe… Jack's life is in the hands of the doctors and those agents you're sending" Renee was really telling her with those words to send the smartest and best trained agents in the entire western world.

Chloe already knew the importance of the mission she would trust those agents with. To put Renee at ease, she stated reassuringly "Cole is leading them"

"Good" Renee was slightly relieved. Cole was exactly who Jack would trust. Then she looked at Liz, they could use her at CTU to assist Chloe processing the evidence. "Also… I'll need clearance for the data analyst who got me the Intel I have for you. She's going to CTU with me… but… hold on…" Renee then covered the speaker and talked to Liz "I need a name for your security clearance but I shouldn't use your real one"

"Use this" Liz said as she showed Renee a fake ID.

Renee read the ID, nodded and said to Chloe "Okay… her name is Barbara Landers…"

"I'll talk to division… I'll say I need to bring her in as a data analyst"

"Thank you" Renee hung up the phone. Then she announced to Leo and Liz "Chloe O'Brian is replacing Brian Hastings as CTU director… Agent Stockard, you and I will see her with the evidence as soon as Cole Ortiz arrives"

Liz looked nervously back and forth between the other two agents. "So… What's gonna happen now? I mean, the Russians must know Pavel failed… what will they do?"

"They'll probably try to sweep this under the carpet… they'll try to take us, Jack and Pavel out… to let this thing die with us five" Leo just looked at Liz sadly as he gave his answer.

But Renee shook her head stubbornly. Then she explained Liz firmly but with surprising calmness "We won't let that happen... that's why we have to go to CTU as fast as we can to give this evidence, we have to get them before they can get us" Then she addressed Leo "How many men Tokarev was working with?"

"I don't know… but to keep everything quiet they have to be a small unit. Probably Pavel plus five others… Minus one female operative Stockard took care of last night…" He nervously scratched the back of his head trying to think on how many others could be out there. He couldn't know for sure.

Liz flinched at the memory. Since she had always done mostly intelligence work that was the first person she had ever killed. She still didn't know how she had been able to do that and set the apartment on fire to cover for it, without losing it completely. She muttered apologetically "I had no choice, she was going to kill me"

"I know" Renee told her reassuringly, while she began making a list on her PDA of some stuff she needed.

Leo then looked at his newest partner. "Stockard, do you think Tokarev's phone can tell us anything?"

"I could try tracing some of the calls he made. If we are lucky and he was stupid, I might even be able to trace the calls to his boss" Liz opened her laptop and took the Sim card from Pavel's phone to download the data.

"Sometimes we can only count on two things…" Leo began reminding Liz something he always said.

"… the bad guy's stupidity and our own good fortune" Renee completed the sentence for him and made eye contact with Leo for the first time since they had argued. He nodded. She handed him her PDA with the list she had just written. "Leo, think you can get me that?"

Leo read the list of what she was requesting: a nurse uniform, a pair of surgical gloves, a surgical hat, a syringe, needles, ammonium carbonate and a drug called 'beroglide'. He looked at Renee somberly. He didn't need to ask her what all that was for. There was just one question he had for her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes" Renee didn't miss a beat. Her expression didn't' leave room for debate.

**09:3****5**** AM – Plane of Yuri Suvarov- President of Russia**

President Suvarov looked through the window the presidential plane. It was all spiraling madly out of control like a hurricane. He had to do something before the storm hit him. There was no way he could back out the peace agreement now, but nobody had to know what he had done. But, unfortunately, to protect himself he would have to use _that_ man. After all, Logan didn't want people to know about the Russian's activities either, although for very different reasons. He ordered one of his secretaries "I need Charles Logan on a secured line"

Former President Logan was in the office Taylor had assigned for him at the U.N., he was pretty surprised when he picked up the phone of that office and somebody asked him to hold for President Suvarov.

"Charles, we have a problem" The Russian went straight to the point a bit nervous, and then added the one thing he knew would serve to grab quickly the other man's attention. "It's Jack Bauer"

Charles frowned disgusted, and annoyed, by the mere sound of that name. "Bauer? What about him?"

"Almost an hour ago, they told me some woman he was with recognized one of my men. She was likely about to talk to Bauer and figure everything out. So, a man was sent to… solve that issue"

Charles was indeed pleased to hear that. He failed to see a problem in Bauer getting taken out. Trying to sound casual about it, he said "It sounds like everything is fixed then"

"It's not. The man I sent ruined everything." Suvarov groaned trying not to sound as worried as he was. Then he explained "Bauer's in surgery, in critical condition, but very much alive. And the woman wasn't even hurt. It's only a matter of time before she spills everything. That can't happen. I don't need to tell you what's at stake."

"I know" Charles pondered about the situation. How could he still get his way? After a very long pause, he concluded "I'm afraid President Taylor is the only one who can intervene at this point"

"What are you talking about? Taylor will be furious"

"Furious or not, trust me… she'll still want you to sign the peace agreement… so she'll have no other choice but to overcome her anger and overlook certain minor details about what happened today"

'_Minor details'_, namely Russia's government's role in the events of the past eighteen hours. Would Taylor truly be willing to let that go and hide it from Dalia Hassan? Suvarov wasn't as confident. But it was the only move he had left under the latest developments. And Taylor was about to find out about it anyway. So the Russian just told Charles, "But, of course, there are things she doesn't need to know"

"Like your personal involvement in all this" Charles stated the obvious sharply, with some arrogance.

"Or the fact that _someone _has known about out activities for months and used the information to blackmail me… after everything was already done!" Yuri Suvarov pointed out quickly, feeling truly upset. He had taken a hell lot of trouble just to get out of signing the peace agreement, only to be forced to sign it anyway at the end. "I wouldn't have bothered to do anything if I had known I'll be forced to sign the agreement nevertheless"

Charles Logan understood the Russian's point perfectly. He tried to excuse himself pointing out "Really, that's water under the bridge at this point, Yuri. I just wanted to get back in the game. You wouldn't begrudge an old friend his second chance in the sun?" then he added "don't worry, Yuri… I'll fix it"

Suvarov just shook his head looking somber. They were so not friends. But they had so much damming information about one another that they had been forced to become sort of allies. It was a mutual-assured-destruction situation, indeed.

**09:****40 AM – United Nations Building **

Allison Taylor was back in her office at the UN after a meeting with Dalia Hassan, who was in the way to become the new President of Kamistan after the death of Omar. As she was sitting behind her desk, her personal aide walked in and said "Madam President, I have Renee Walker on line two, she says she needs to talk to you"

"Thanks Nancy" The president thanked her assistant with a nod. She was surprised Renee Walker was calling her. What could that be about? Allison knew it was probably very important or Renee wouldn't call, so she picked up the phone feeling a bit anxious. "Ms. Walker? This is President Taylor".

"Madam President…" Renee suddenly found herself phoning the President like in the old FBI times, as Larry's deputy. It felt sort of weird. Except she had no time to feel awkward. "I'm afraid I have bad news"

"What happened?" Allison asked worriedly. Meanwhile, Ethan discretely peeked in the office to see if he could come in for a minute. She gestured him to walk in and close the door.

"Jack's been shot shortly after he and I left CTU" Renee announced very painfully, with her voice a bit shaky.

"Oh God" Allison gasped in horror. If she hadn't been sitting down for that she probably would have fallen. She just couldn't believe it. "Jack was shot? But… how is he?"

"The…eh… the bullet lacerated lung. He's in surgery."

"But he'll be all right after that? Right?" Allison hoped so desperately.

"I… I don't know…" Renee admitted as she battled fiercely to keep her distress from showing in her voice.

"How did this happen?" The President asked, suddenly her shock had became total outrage. There were tears in her eyes she was attempting to restrain.

"That's what I need to talk to you about, Madam. It has to do with President Hassan's assassination"

"President Hassan? I don't understand, Ms. Walker. How is it related with that?" The President was totally confused. "The people who played a part in Hassan's assassination are dead"

"That's what we all thought" Renee admitted sadly. She couldn't see the President's face at the moment. But she could imagine the shock and the confusion. But she couldn't just burp over the phone everything she knew. It was too serious. Feeling extremely uncomfortable about it, she rushed to add, "Madam President, it's really something I should explain in person. I'm sorry… but, please, I need to see you in order to tell you what's happening. I wouldn't be asking that if it weren't absolutely necessary."

"I believe you" Allison assured her. Renee wouldn't insist to see her in person without a very good reason or call to make up lies about Hassan and Jack. Not knowing exactly what was happening felt alarming, to say the least. She ordered firmly "But I need to see as soon as possible then"

"Of course, Madam… I'll be there with all the evidence I've got as soon as I can. Thank you"

After hanging up, Allison had a very worried and pained expression on her face. She explained Ethan "Jack Bauer was shot. They're taking care of him. But Renee Walker assures me she has to explain me the situation in person"

"You mean she couldn't tell you anything over the phone?" That instantly set off alarms in Ethan as well. Then he somberly pointed out the obvious. "That can't mean anything good, Madam President" Allison nodded in silent agreement. Both friends stared at each other thoughtfully for a moment. Then Ethan remembered suddenly why he had come into Allison's office in the first place. "Oh… by the way, Logan wants to speak with you. He didn't say about what. Just that it's urgent. He's waiting in his office"

**09:****42 AM**

Charles Logan was in the office President Taylor had assigned for him to use. He was considerably nervous about what he had to say to her. He had no choice anyway, since Bauer's girlfriend was about to spill everything. But as he watched the news reports, he felt a little bit more confident. The reporters were talking about how good it was that Dalia Hassan was stepping into Omar Hassan's shoes and the support that was being given to Dalia and the peace process. He was pretty sure Allison wouldn't be willing to give all that up. He was still feeling somewhat awkward as he greeted her. "Thank you for seeing me, Madam President".

"Ethan said you wanted to speak with me."

Logan asked quickly to be left alone with the President. Ethan and Allison noticed the former President seemed concerned. After the three of them were alone, Ethan asked "What's this about, Charles?"

"It's about the shooting of Jack Bauer…" Charles began explaining, assuming correctly that the president was aware of that. Charles had done some small research about Walker's history and he realized what card he could try playing in order to avoid telling the truth. "He was with a woman called Renee Walker… now she's out of control, she had a nervous meltdown and is obsessed with her own theory about what happened" He then made a sad _'poor thing'_ gesture with his head.

Allison folded her arms in front her chest and stared at Charles distrustfully, "Do you know how it happened?"

"Everything is still being investigated." Logan replied evasively. And then he added with a firm tone "but in the meantime, what I'm saying is Walker needs to be stopped."

"Why?" Allison snapped dryly as she stared at Logan. First, Renee had called claiming to have evidence connecting Hassan's assassination with the shooting of Jack. Now Logan was telling her to stop Renee. But why did he care at all about what Renee was doing? Just the fact that Charles was minding in the matter of the shooting was odd.

"You're going to have to trust me. Right now we need to stop Walker from continuing her investigation." Charles couldn't emphasize that enough. Then he added with a lower tone "She's not well."

The thing was, Allison couldn't trust Logan, not even a little bit, given what he had done in the past. And she knew better than to trust him with anything remotely related with Jack. With her calm, yet firm '_don't mess with the president_' tone, she demanded "You better tell me exactly what's going on."

"Madam President..." Logan tried to object.

"No! I won't do a thing about Renee Walker until you tell me the truth." Allison insisted with a firmer presidential tone. If he wanted her to do anything, he would have to came up with a reason better than '_she's not well_'

It was time for plan B. Charles paused for a moment realizing that, as much as he detested it, he would actually have to tell as much of the truth as he could. "Elements inside the Russian government were behind both the assassination of President Hassan and the supply of nuclear material to his enemies."

"The Russian government?" The President asked in shock and horror.

"Why do you think they're back at the table? Because I threatened to expose their role in today's events."

"You knew about this and you didn't tell anyone?" Ethan asked rhetorically with a sad tone. He was disgusted, but not too surprised, by that fact.

"I was trying to protect the president." Logan claimed weakly. He knew they wouldn't buy that.

Ethan now was enraged, he felt close to losing his temper. "Protect her? You've compromised her hopelessly!"

Allison was furious too. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

Charles felt cornered. But the President had agreed to let him negotiate without knowing what kind of ammunitions he had. So he pointed out defensively "I told you that I had leverage with the Russians. You… you must have understood it was significant."

"Significant, yes! Evidence of a sex scandal, some kind of financial malfeasance, not this, for God's sake!" Allison yelled full of outrage. She had never expected anything like that. But, truth be told, she now felt like a complete moron for not asking about Logan's leverage sooner. Then, back in a more presidential tone, she began threatening "If I find that you were in a position to prevent anything..."

Logan managed to act convincingly like he was absolutely outraged by the mere insinuation as he lied, "Absolutely not. This information came to me only very recently."

"From whom?" The President asked.

"I can't tell you." Logan shook his head, refusing to answer that.

"You will tell me." Allison affirmed quickly with a very intimidating tone.

Not knowing what else to do, he maintained his negative stating, "I can't, Madam President, because it would do no good. My sources would plausibly deny even knowing me."

'_How can that be so?'_ Allison wondered to herself as she stared at him. But she immediately realized it was pointless trying to find that out. She had to let it slide. She walked around the conference table, as she processed the information. "The Russian involvement… that's what Renee Walker is about to bring out into the open?"

"If you let her, yes."Logan confirmed. Then, he pointed at the TV monitor, that showed news about the peace process, as he emphasized "And then, and then this, this will all be finished."

"It's finished anyways." Ethan said. He could tell Allison was crushed as she realized as much too. But under the circumstances, they unfortunately had to call the peace process off. Then he asked Logan rhetorically, "Do you think the president wants anything more to do with the Russians after what they've done?"

"Yes" He told Ethan with confidence. And then he addressed Allison, knowing exactly what to tell her. "Yes, you do, Madam President, because you are looking at the bigger picture, the greater good."

Ethan was absolutely outraged. "How can you call any of this good?"

"Because it is good, an undeniable good! A peace that's escaped the world for generations! That's what you're on the verge of achieving. Do you really want to throw it all away?" Logan passionately made that point to Allison, sure that he could convince her. She was visibly sad, devastated by the idea of ending the peace process. She just needed someone to give her the arguments to justify to herself continuing with it.

Ethan couldn't believe that man, "Do you really think Dalia Hassan will sit down at the table with the people who murdered her husband?"

"Who says she has to know?" Logan asked knowing full well that was a shitty suggestion, but one he had to make. Allison and Ethan stared at him shocked. But he kept defending his case strongly "Believe me, I know how hard you worked for this, how you sweated and prayed, the sleepless nights. I know. The power to make a difference… that's why we came into politics. How few of us get to achieve it, but you have... You so nearly have. Ethan will tell you to make a stand. I applaud his… his moral clarity, but then he's on the sidelines. He can afford it."

"That's enough!" Ethan exclaimed absolutely outraged by the way Logan tried to put him down.

But Logan was absolutely on a roll, encouraged by Allison's silence. He disregarded Ethan and continued making his case "Is the situation ideal? No! Far from it, but you have a real chance to make the world a better place."

Ethan got truly worried. It was beginning to hit him that Allison was actually considering covering the Russians. She had to be truly desperate to even think about doing such an atrocity. He wished to advise her not as secretary of state, but as a compassionate friend who knew her better than anybody else, and somebody who really knew what she was feeling and thinking. He got a bit closer to her and assured her "Don't listen to this, Allison. If the treaty's not signed today, it's not the end. You can build a better peace, with honest partners".

Then Charles knew just what to say to convince Allison. He reminded her "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ethan asked, now plainly annoyed by the other man's sole presence.

"The president knows." Charles stated with certainty as he tried to read Allison's face. He could see he was nearly convincing her.

"_There is__ a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures". _

Allison recognized instantly that quote from Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Those words got to her like a dagger to her heart. She felt a tightening sensation on her throat. Yet, she managed not to break down as she explained "It's from Julius Caesar. It means _'Now or never'_".

Ethan's heart was breaking. He could see how hurt Allison was, and how much the treaty meant for her. But it scared him what she was willing to do for it. She couldn't do it. It just wasn't possible. Covering the Russians was not an option. Feeling pained, but being absolutely clear, he stated "Madam President, there is no choice here".

Except that there was. She didn't _have_ to throw away the only thing she had left in the world after losing her entire family. The only tiny light in her life was fading. But, maybe, that didn't have to happen. She could hide all existent evidence of what the Russians had done and make them sign the accord in return. Not even daring to look at him, she pointed out to her friend "But there is a choice, Ethan, and unfortunately, only I can make it."

**09:****45**** AM - Saint Andrew's hospital**

Leo handed Renee a small bag with the material she had requested. She checked and was satisfied to see everything was in order. "Okay…thank you"

A bit tentatively, Leo took Renee's hand as a way to express support and apologize. "Hey, I'm truly sorry about what's going on… and I don't think I need to tell you that if you want me to do it, I will"

Renee shook his head and took her hand away from his rather abruptly, "No". After seeing the pained expression on his face, she felt bad, so she added "I don't blame you, Leo. I really blame myself. That's why I have to do it" Before Leo could protest, they saw Cole Ortiz approaching them. Renee stood up and walked towards him. She went straight to the immediate matters. "Cole, you have two men positioned in every entrance?"

"Like you asked" He confirmed. Then he added "I only know what you told Chloe", implying with his tone that it wasn't much. He was truly confused, aside from very worried. "So, what's going on?"

"Agent Leon Craig" she said pointing at Leo "will be your backup and explain you everything. I don't have time"

"Okay. But… what about the John Doe who 'mysteriously fell' from the building? They sniper must have pushed him because he recognized him"

Renee shook her head. "He was the shooter. His name is Pavel Tokarev. And, by the way, CTU has to claim jurisdiction over NYPD and claim the body"

"The body?" Cole asked confused at first, since that guy was in critical condition, but alive. Then he just stared at Renee in shock.

She was horrified as she realized the slide of her tongue. She rushed to clarify "I meant, the case"

But Leo stepped up and, trying to help, he added casually "but, come on… the dude fell from a third floor. There's no way he'll make it, right?"

"No chance in hell" Renee stated somberly. Then she addressed Liz dryly. "Agent Stockard, we have to go"

Cole was about to stop Renee from going anywhere, but Leo grabbed him firmly from the arm. Cole moved away from him outraged, "hey"

Leo remained absolutely calm. He shook his head in a '_don't you dare_' manner and spoke to Cole making clear with his serious tone that he had to back off. "The ladies have to go see Director O'Brian and President Taylor".

"Yeah… and before that?" Cole asked with an obvious '_come on,_ _you think I'm stupid?_' tone.

But Leo had an ace to use. He replied sarcastically, "I dunno, maybe to pick up Nick and Kevin at the Jacqueline Kennedy reservoir?"

Cole stared in disbelief, too stunned to say anything for a moment. Then he muttered angered, with his teeth clenching "You know nothing about…"

Leo interrupted Cole firmly to make something clear before letting the other man talk and explain the incident at the park "I know what my boss saw. But I also know Renee wants you here because you've got Bauer's respect and trust. So I'm willing to hear your explanation. However, no matter how or why it happened, if you do anything that hurts a good friend of mine, I'll have no reason at all to help you in any way"

**09:****48**** AM**

Liz and Renee arrived to the door of the room, in the ICU, where Pavel Tokarev was. Both of them saw a nurse leaving the bedroom. Liz had to stay by the door watching. She warned the other woman "a nurse checks him every ten minutes."

Renee solemnly nodded, getting it. She entered the room, already with the surgical gloves and hat on, so she wouldn't leave finger prints. Then she jammed the bathroom door against the entrance door. After that, she turned around and saw him. As she walked towards his bed, she checked the medical chart recently download to her PDA. Because of the 'fall' the man on that bed had multiple ribs broken at multiple places (which had caused him a flail chest), a broken arm and a broken leg. He had also suffered from a subdural hematoma and spinal trauma. Feeling nothing but deep hatred, she observed him hooked up to wires and breathing tubes. Next, she placed under his nose a bottle with a smelling salt, Aammonium carbonate, to wake him up. Almost simultaneously, she hit him harshly on one of his broken ribs with her elbow.

Pavel had fallen unconscious after the fall and once again shortly after being brought to the hospital. He woke up abruptly startled from the pain. The first thing he noticed was a woman with scrubs and surgical hat looking at him and felt dazed for a moment. Then he recognized her face. It was her, only in scrubs and with her dark auburn hair all twisted up together under a surgical hat. He was absolutely astonished. He recalled having her in view and firing his rifle before getting the electrical shot. He groaned painfully in disbelief "You? You should be dead"

"Funny coincidence. You too" She pointed out, not laughing at all. Her face seemed made of stone. She instantly kinked the air hose between her palms. As he began suffocating, she told him "Tell you another one? You had a Springfield M1A with you. And an hour ago someone I care about was shot with that same kind of rifle". She then had to let go the hose for a moment to allow him to breathe and keep him alive a bit longer.

Pavel gasped for air, she could barely speak, let alone cry for help. He just hissed "go to hell"

Then, Renee turned off the alarms of the medical equipment so they wouldn't go off when Pavel's vitals began decreasing, and she stated coldly "you're first in line".

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Please, tell me what you think)**


	16. There is a tide part two

**AN: **THANKS EVERYBODY SO MUCH!

This chapter is a lot about the resolution of the political crisis. I hope you're not too disappointed, but there won't be "Renee and Jack" till next chapter.

By the way, in case you don't remember, 'Beroglide' is a fictional drug used as a torture devise by the end of the second season of '24'.

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:**

A year after her son died and her family fell apart, Allison Taylor got drunk in a rare moment of weakness and kissed Ethan, although they remained just friends (Chapter 12). For one year, she focused solely in putting together a peace agreement, unaware of President Suvarov's efforts to destroy it. When she finally learns about the Russian conspiracy, she realizes the only way to save her peace process is covering it up.

Renee learns everything Leo and Liz know about the Russians. She tries to handle the situation the best she can, while Jack is still in surgery, but she can barely hold herself together.

Leo tries to get information from Pavel, after realizing he won't be able to, he throws him off a window. Pavel survives the fall and gets taken to the hospital. (Chapter 14) Renee sneaks into Pavel's room to kill him.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 16:**

**THERE IS A TIDE (part two)**

**M****AY 21****st**** 2018**

**09:****48**** AM - Saint Andrew's hospital**

Pavel recognized her face and groaned softly but painfully in disbelief "You? You should be dead"

"Funny coincidence. You too" She pointed out, stoned faced. She instantly kinked the air hose between her palms. As he began suffocating, she told him "Tell you another one? You had a Springfield M1A with you. And an hour ago someone I care about was shot with that same kind of rifle". She then had to let go the hose for a moment to allow him to breathe and keep him alive a bit longer.

Pavel gasped for air, she could barely speak, let alone cry for help. He just hissed "go to hell"

Then, Renee turned off the alarms of the medical equipment so they wouldn't go off when Pavel's vitals began decreasing, and she stated coldly "you're first in line".

Then she bended the air hose again. But she was supposed to try getting the name of Pavel's boss before doing anything else. That boss was a Russian government official, still unidentified. They needed a name. A particular part of the phone conversation Liz had recorded between Pavel and that man played quickly in Renee's head.

"_Are they going to CTU?"_

"_I don't think so, no."_

"_Then, it seems unlikely she recognized you."_

"_Better not to take the chance. I'll take out Bauer too, while I'm at it."_

Jack could still die in that OR. There was nothing she could do to prevent that. She was helpless. Her entire body was shaking. She felt a sharp and sudden pain in her chest. But she couldn't cry. That Russian bastard couldn't see her cry. She refused to give him the satisfaction. She needed to remain in control and make that Russian son of a bitch pay. After blinking nervously to fight the tears, she admitted "You know how this works. Right? Now is the part where I promise not to kill you if you give me the name of your boss". She managed to successfully avoid crying, but the bitterness in her voice was evident. Then, she shook her head in disgust and added, "But there's no way I'm gonna let you live. You know that. I can't let you live. You… you shot him. You tried to kill him".

The Russian corrected her acidly, "I was trying to kill _you._"

Such reminder only infuriated her. She drew her gun with one hand and pressed the muzzle against one of his broken ribs. "You're a stupid son of a bitch" she hissed as Pavel twisted in pain and tried to fight her, but he was too weakened to actually push her away. He could barely lift his arms, and the tracheal tube was preventing him from shouting loudly. He could barely emit low gasps of pain. Renee kept pressing the gun causing him pain without actually having to inflict any new wound. "You thought I had recognized you? I hadn't! We were not threat for you. We were out. He was out" At that point, she couldn't help getting all choked up. She repeated with deep despair, "He was out. He wanted out. You are such a stupid bastard. I had no idea who you were. I was no threat for you. But you knew that already, right? Because you saw us in his apartment… You saw that we were not a threat. You saw us… "

Pavel had seen what she and Jack were doing. He had seen they were _not _working for CTU anymore at that time. He had watched them in bed. Renee was just then processing that fact. She hadn't been able to truly think about it. Now it was really getting to her. He had been watching them. He had intruded in her perfect moment with Jack. She wanted to throw up. Her stomach was twisted. She could taste vomit in her mouth.

"Why couldn't you leave us alone? Why?" Renee whined desperately a tear flowed freely down her cheek. The hand that had her gun began shaking. She was desperate to pull that trigger and blow Pavel's brain off. She wanted to pick up a knife and stab him fifteen times, or more.

'_Evidence of a sustained and furious assault with clear intent to kill'. _Renee suddenly heard that voice on her head and stepped back abruptly. She couldn't make the same mistake twice. She couldn't lose control. She put the gun away and embraced herself tightly, giving short and desperate breaths, trying to restrain herself. Then she turned around, trying not to even look at the Russian, and quickly began prepping a syringe with the beroglide.

As she pumped some of the drug into the saline drip in Pavel's arm, she explained coldly, "This is beroglide. It will paralyze your diaphragm". To make it slow, she started with a small dose. Her face looked a rock again. She was so pale that she actually looked like made of marble. She whispered maliciously in his ear, "You'll suffocate slowly… you're gonna feel you are drowning. Nothing will stop it"

Pavel tried to do the best he could to hide how pained he felt. He had to use all his strength to face the inevitable like a soldier. He wouldn't break. He would never break and talk. Yet, he had figured out a way to break her. Since nothing could prevent his dead, he had to make her kill him quickly. He would break her. He was full of hate when he hissed "I was right about you… you are nothing… nothing but a dirty whore… Laitanan's bitch…"

That felt like a knife stuck right in her stomach. She flinched sickened and distraught by the memories of Vladimir for a moment. Without thinking, she launched against Pavel with pure loathe in her eyes. With one hand on his forehead she held his head tightly against the pillow, while with the other one she stuck furiously the needle several times into his left eye. The long and thin needle instantly passed through the eyelid. Then she moved fast to poke it deep into the Russian's right eye. Then she stepped back suddenly horrified by her own actions. Renee remained frozen in shock for a moment as she observed Pavel.

The Russian in an automatic reflex covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. He gasped desperately trying to scream but no sound louder than a whisper could come out his mouth. Rapidly, the drug began to make effect on him. He began desperately to try breathing in, in vain. He instinctively took his hands to his chest and throat. His very sore eyes opened wide in horror. Then he felt something liquid coming from his eyes. And next he noticed a dark shadow that was slowly covering them, like a curtain being drawn over his field of vision.

Renee overcame her initial shock rather quickly. That Russian bastard deserved to be punished. No doubt about that. "Be glad I was this nice with you" She mumbled in pained resignation. Then she prepared another syringe with a much higher dose of beroglide and pumped more of the drug into the saline drip in Pavel's arm.

She quickly eliminated as much evidence of her presence as possible while Pavel continued choking. Then she folded her arms in front of her chest and watched straight-faced until the Russian took his very last breath. Finally, she turned the alarm system of the medical equipment back on. Soon enough, a light on a computer would warn the nurses by the nurse station that the patient in that room had, strangely, suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest. So she left the room quickly, and then left the hospital with Agent Stockard.

**10****:00**** AM **

Liz was driving her vehicle with Renee in the passenger seat. Renee was talking over her cell phone with Leo "It's done. We're heading to CTU". She swallowed the lump she felt on her throat and said anxiously "I guess you've got nothing new on Jack's status"

"No, I'm sorry. It's gonna take a while" Leo replied feeling truly bad for her.

Renee nodded and sighed defeated. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible anyway". Then she bit her lip nervously. Hating to admitting it, but knowing Leo had to be warned, she added awkwardly "And, look… when they see Pavel… they'll find a sign of assault. A penetrating trauma in his eyes". Then she shook her head, deciding to cut with the euphemisms and burped it dryly like it was. "I blinded him with a needle". There was a long silence on the other side of the line. But Renee knew her friend knew very well what the Russian bastard had done. Leo had to understand. It had actually been a too small punishment for Pavel. So she pointed out horrified in her own defense, "Leo, he was watching me with Jack… he… he was watching"

He could sense in her voice how understandably distressed she was about that. "Hey, don't worry. Nobody has to know it was you. Okay? Trust me, everything will be fine."

"How?" that little question came from Renee's mouth in one bitter and somber groan. It was so hard for her to imagine a future in which everything would be fine. Deep down, she didn't think she could ever forgive herself for what had happened to Jack that morning.

"I don't know" Leo had to admit sadly, realizing what his friend meant. "But I know that now we need you to talk to Chloe O'Brian and the President. So, do that… then get back here and…. figure out the rest"

**10****:20**** AM – ****CTU NY headquarters**

"_Then, it seems unlikely she recognized you."_

"_Better not to take the chance. I'll take out Bauer too, while I'm at it."_

"_The Americans believe the IRK were solely behind the recent attacks. Killing Bauer and this woman would only alert them to the fact that others were involved. How long before they discover that it was us?"_

"_It will take even less time if this woman remembers me. What are my orders?"_

"_Continue to follow them keep them in sight and I'll get back to you"_

Then the recording of that phone conversation stopped having already hit Renee, and almost knocked her down, with the strongest wave of guilt yet.

Chloe O'Brian simply stared in astonishment at the two women who had brought that Intel to her for a short moment. They were in the CTU NY acting director's office. Chloe could hardly believe what was going on. But she had no time to be shocked. She could fully understand the serious repercussions of what she had heard. And she knew she had to act quickly. "So, you have an ID on the boss of the man you recognized?" She asked Renee, then she awkwardly corrected herself wrinkling her nose "I mean… _didn't_ recognize". To Chloe that was not an accusation, but purely a neutral statement of the information she had gotten.

But Renee couldn't speak as the tightening sensations in her throat and chest were getting bigger. Liz realized what was going on. So she stepped up to answer Chloe's question instead. "Actually… I think I found a possible lead about that Russian Government official…" As she searched an audio file, she explained "This is a conversation between Charles Logan and his executive assistant, Jason Pillar… it happened as Agent Craig and I were heading to the hospital, that's why I had no time to recover the data till now…" She then played the recording.

"_Did Taylor agree to the conditions?" _

"_Of course… She didn't really have any choice" _

"_I doubt that Novakovich will be as amenable"_

"_The guy is as much a cupcake politician as he was a… cupcake minister in the KGB. I think he isn't going to be any obstacle. Besides he knows I'm not afraid to go over his head to Suvarov."_

"Novakovich?" Chloe asked with profound disbelief. Since she had been working on the security of the peace summit she was familiar with the most important government officials of each delegation. "Are they talking about Mikhail Novakovich? The Russian Foreign Minister?"

"So it seems" Liz nodded. "Right after that conversation, Logan met with Novakovich and, just like that, the Russians were back at the negotiation table"

In a heartbeat, Chloe picked up her phone and dialed the number of Arlo's extension. "Arlo, I need at least three videos of public speeches, or statements, given by Mikhail Novakovich, to get a voice sample. And I need that now" after hanging up, she looked at Liz with some confusion "but… whoever that government official is, he seemed to be _against_ shooting Jack and Renee because that would surely alert us of their involvement… so… what made him change his orders?"

"The real question is not what… but who… shortly before the shooting, Tokarev got a call from that other Russian…" Liz explained as she searched the respective file and played it for the other women.

"_Is the situation under control?"_

"_Yes. I'm keeping them in sight" _

Renee flinched in pain and disgust as she felt another dagger in her stomach. She took a seat just to avoid fainting, sure that she was going to throw up at any second.

"_You have new instructions. He wants this mess completely under the carpet. Understood?"_

As Chloe allowed the information to sink in, Liz stopped the recording. "We don't know who it can be. But obviously there is a man that government official takes orders from"

"But, Agent Stockard, Mikhail Novakovich is the Foreign Minister of Russia… who would he take orders from?" As soon as she said that, Chloe froze in deeper shock as a realization hit her. If that politician was actually Novakovich, there was only one man likely to be above him.

"His President" Renee stated calmly echoing the other women's suspicions. Then she added bitterly, "and I think it's time I talk to ours"

**10:30**** AM – ****CTU NY headquarters**

As soon as she heard of Renee's arrival to CTU, Allison Taylor told secret service to take her there. But she was very far from making a firm decision. Her heart and soul were as torn apart as the day she decided not to cover her daughter's crime. Libby was her own daughter and had ordered the murder of Roger's killer. Yet, Allison had seen what the right thing to do was almost instantly back then. Now it should be much easier. But there were bigger matters to consider: a peace that had escaped the world for generations, a peace that would make the world a much better place.

'_So… you are willing to make yourself an accessory after the fact to everything the Russians have done in the last eighteen hours, not to mention an accessory to everything they might do from now on to cover their asses?_ _Really, Ally? Wow… For someone __who gave up her own daughter to be tried for murder, you are sure willing to cut Russia a hell lot of slack._ _What would Omar Hassan say of that, by the way?' _

The President couldn't stop her own conscience. It was torturing her. She reached the bullpen and all eyes were predictably on her. Those people had worked so hard for the summit. "I want to say how grateful I am for all the efforts you've made today. We have taken some pretty hard hits..." Then she couldn't bring herself to actually admit that, unfortunately, everything was over. She couldn't confess that said hits had brought everything down. She couldn't declare herself defeated. She needed to win. She needed at least to take one last breath. So she added enthusiastically "But we've managed to keep ourselves in the game. The peace process is still alive. And I'm counting on your hard work and your vigilance to keep it that way. I know you won't let me down".

Then Allison looked up towards the office upstairs and her smile faded instantly. Renee Walker was up there, looking down at her through the window, with darkest and saddest expression Allison had ever seen. The president made his way to the stairs trying to hide her nervousness. "Thank you, Ms. O'Brian. I'll go up alone" She told Chloe, who nodded awkwardly. The president went upstairs and one of her agents opened the door for her. Then she greeted sadly at the other woman "Hello, Ms. Walker"

"Madam President." Renee greeted in return managing at least a tiny polite smile.

"I'll be praying for Jack's successful and fast recovery", Allison began saying sincerely. Renee looked down distraught. So the President rushed to add, "But I'm sure he'll be fine. He's amazingly strong".

"He is" Renee had to agree, trying with all her strengths not to embarrass herself and cry in front of the President of the United States. Jack was so strong. He had to be fine. But Renee was still terrified that he wouldn't be.

"I gather he means a lot to you" Allison pointed out. She herself considered Jack her only dependable ally aside from Ethan. But she had already noticed Renee's feelings for Jack were far beyond friendship and loyalty.

"Yes, ma'am", Renee confirmed solemnly, looking at the President directly into her eyes.

"For me too", Allison admitted candidly. However, it made her feel like such a scum. She thought of how betrayed Jack would feel. She really didn't desire to do what she had come there to do. Could she even pull it off if she wanted to? But Logan's words kept playing in her head… _'A peace that's escaped the world for generations! That's what you're on the verge of achieving. Do you really want to throw it all away?'_. After a short nervous pause, Allison added painfully, "Which makes what I'm about to ask so very, very hard". She gestured for Renee to sit down. "Please. Ms. Walker"

Renee took a seat feeling suddenly alarmed. What was she going to ask? And why the President didn't longer seem anxious to hear all about the evidence Renee had claimed to have?

"I need you to stand down." The President's tone and the look in her eyes seemed to say _'I know this truly blows, but we have to suck it up_'

It sounded like Allison wanted her to drop the investigation. But that didn't make any sense, being President Taylor the most honest, truthful and honorable person Renee knew. She was extremely confused, "I… I'm sorry. I don't… I don't understand."

Now came the most difficult part. Trying to keep her tone casual, she said "You said you wanted to give me some evidence about the shooting…"

"Madam President, actually…" Renee was about to claim that the evidence she had was about so much more. But the President glared her and raised a hand in a firm _'let me finish'_ manner. So, Renee looked down embarrassed realizing she had just interrupted the President.

"I heard the individual who tried to kill you both is now dead. Had an accident, and then died at the hospital after a cardiothoracic arrest" Allison was simply telling Renee what they had told her. She could guess there was more. But she honestly didn't care about the death of that Russian bastard. If anything, it was an opportunity to let everything die with that man.

"That's what the investigation concluded" Renee acknowledged awkwardly with a nod. Technically, she hadn't lied.

"So, there's no reason to investigate this matter any further. Tokarev acted alone, attacked you… but now he's gone" Allison stated, clearly too anxious to just leave everything like that. Her tone clearly hinted she preferred to stick to that story even thought it was not exactly the truth. "I know you and Jack have gone through a horrible ordeal last night and this morning for the sake of this country. I'm so grateful for what you've done. _I owe you_ both a lot", the President said sincerely, hoping Renee would also get the hidden proposition in those words. She was more than happy to just let Jack and Renee walk away into the sunset, if only they both left the peace process alone. Then, to make her point even clearer, she added enthusiastically, "But now the crisis is over and the peace process is back on track. Dalia Hassan will represent her country at the signing. The Russians have accepted her and have undertaken to support the treaty"

In other words: '_Just go home, leave it like this and call it a day_'. Renee got it. She could see where the president was going. But she just couldn't believe that was what Allison Taylor wanted to do. She stared at the President in confusion and disbelief for a moment, trying to process her words. It seemed the President knew about the Russians and, shockingly, wanted to go along with the treaty anyway. And the Russians had agreed to sign the treaty, which could have only happened because of Charles Logan's blackmail.

Of all the thoughts that kept running through her head at that moment, one instantly escaped her mouth quickly and abruptly like verbal vomit, "You can't trust the Russians". That had come off the wrong way. Renee took a deep breath and, in a much more polite tone, she simply stated the facts "Madam President, they tried to destroy the treaty. People working within the Russian government were behind the assassination of President Hassan and provided nuclear material to his enemies."

"Ms. Walker…" the President said in a warning tone and shaking her head disapprovingly. Then Allison used her firm presidential tone to express the situation even more clearly "I want to keep the Russians at the table. Allegations of this sort will drive them away. I can't have that happen"

"Allegations?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing from President Taylor. "ma'am, I'm telling you the truth. I can prove it", Renee affirmed confidently. But of course she realized that the truth couldn't matter less. So she sighed wearily and extremely disenchanted, "You already know that. You know the truth"

Allison could see the disappointment in the other woman's face. At the moment, Charles Logan was the only person she had talked to who believed covering the Russian's actions was for the better. Allison desperately wanted someone else to back that idea up. Not that the President actually needed approval. It was her choice. But she needed to feel better about it. She wanted somebody's support. So the President tried to convince the other woman by passionately giving the best arguments at her disposal "If I keep the Russians at the table, I can bring peace to a part of the world that has known nothing but war for generations. That is the greater good that I am working toward. And to achieve it, there have to be sacrifices!"

"With all due respect, Madam President… Don't lecture me about sacrifices… not today". That came off her lips spontaneously and very bitterly. Renee suddenly felt bad as she realized she was not indeed as respectful as she should. Then she lowered her gaze a little and explained awkwardly, "I meant… I know about sacrifices, ma'am"

"I know you do", Allison acknowledged genuinely in a heartbeat. Then she added firmly, "Which is why I expected you to understand the sacrifice I have to make now… it's why I'm asking you now to move on. It's what best for the country". Allison knew appealing to Walker's sense of duty was the best way to solve this in a friendly manner. Then she got too involved in making her case and foolishly used Dalia Hassan as an example of strength and commitment, "Even Hassan's widow has picked up the torch and is continuing the peace process."

But Mrs. Hassan was the worst possible person to bring up at that moment. Renee stood up abruptly and retorted in disbelief, "Even though the Russians helped murder her husband?". Dalia and Kayla Hassan had very personal reasons to despise those Russians. Hassan's widow wouldn't be willing to sign that treaty if she knew what had happened. And suddenly a new harsh reality hit Renee like a cold slap, "She doesn't know that".

Allison felt like a punch in her stomach. She knew she was doing to Dalia was just despicable. But she didn't want to hear it. She didn't have to hear none of it. "That's enough".

"You haven't even told her!" Renee snapped with a mixture of anger, disgust and incredulity. Who was that woman in front of her and where was the real Allison Taylor?

"I said that's enough!" Allison snapped right back, jumping fast on her feet. The President of the United States already felt like a piece of shit. She wouldn't tolerate anybody scolding her like that. As firmly as she could, she said what she had been telling herself over and over again since her conversation with Logan "This peace treaty is in the interests of the United States and of the world. That makes it a good in itself…" Allison was making herself so sick that she was about to puke in Renee's shoes. But she had to hold her ground. Then she added even more firmly, "and certainly more important than your desire for revenge".

That felt like such a cheap shot. Was Allison truly accusing Renee of putting personal feelings above what was best for the nation? This wasn't only about Jack. What about Omar Hassan? Manhattan was safe only because of Hassan's sacrifice. And that brave and honorable man had been murdered. Feeling hurt and betrayed by the president, Renee stated angrily "Madam President, I don't want revenge. I want justice."

"And I want peace" Allison affirmed with total desperation.

"How's that an option without justice?" Renee snapped abruptly in complete disbelief, not being able to restrain herself. "The Russians helped murder Omar Hassan and gave nuclear weapons to terrorists willing to wipe out half of Manhattan!"

Allison was too shocked to say anything at first. Nobody ever dared to lecture her and question her like that. She would have never expected something like that from Renee Walker. She then protested firmly, "You are way out of line, Ms. Walker… it's my decision. Do you understand? I don't owe you an explanation". But the lump on her throat and her wet eyes were a serious threat to her presidential attitude.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry… I understand it's your decision. I meant no disrespect", she said sincerely, lowering her tone. But Renee had never been one to just shut up without even trying to be heard. She just couldn't help herself. "I know what's like when giving up is all you have left to do but you still want to hold on fiercely, keep trying… just in case you have one chance, just one chance, to get everything back on track…" A lonesome tear fell through Renee's eye down her cheek. She brushed it right off and shook her head. She was letting a lot of personal feelings and memories sneak into a conversation that was meant to be about politics. "I'm sorry. But, Madam President… the Russians tried fiercely to destroy the treaty. Now they're only signing it under duress… and Dalia Hassan is signing it because she doesn't know anything. So, I've got to ask… How is such peace ever gonna hold when it's not born out of honesty and trust? How can peace last when you are the only one truly working for it?"

Allison had no answer to that. In reality, she lacked the conviction to keep defending her own actions. She couldn't even speak. She was getting too un-presidentially chocked up.

But before anything else could happen, Chloe was forced to knock and the door and interrupt feeling truly awkward, "Excuse me, Madam President… we have just recovered a recorded conversation between Charles Logan and President Suvarov". Then she took a deep breath, and added gravely "and it's something you want to hear".

Renee stiffened instantly. This was truly it. The President could order Chloe to destroy that recording without even listening to it. She could invoke national security, destroy all evidence, and lock her down. Or else, Allison could hear that recording and take the facts. Renee and Allison exchanged a meaningful look. They both knew that listening to that conversation would mean a point of no return for the President. Finally, Renee summoned the courage to ask Allison "Is it, ma'am?"

**11:00**** AM – ****United Nations Building**

The President had her arms folded in front her chest. She was staring through the window of her office lost in her thoughts. She had already heard all evidence, spoken honestly with Ethan and decided what to do. Then, she heard a knock on her door, "come in". She turned around and saw Ethan entering with Charles Logan. The President exchanged a significant look with her best friend. The former President was still oblivious.

"Madam President, Ethan said you needed to see me"

"_I've waited too long. I've waited patiently for the moment to employ this Intel in hopes of resurrecting my political career and, primary, redeeming myself in the eyes of my country."_

"_Really, that's water under the bridge at this point, Yuri. I just wanted to get back in the game. You wouldn't begrudge an old friend his second chance in the sun?"_

Allison stared at Charles deeply disgusted as she remembered the recorded conversations she had listened to. Listening to those recordings had truly been a wakeup call. And so had been Renee Walker's words. She really didn't want to turn into people like Yuri Suvarov, Novakovich or Charles Logan.

"Yeah… I've just gotten back from talking to Renee Walker" Allison replied and made a pause. Charles looked expectantly. The president swallowed hard. It was so difficult. She still felt painfully defeated. But now she knew what the right thing to do was. Deep down, she had known it all along. "It's over, Charles. I'm announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the peace agreement".

"Because of that woman… Walker?" Charles speculated, saying '_Walker_' like it was some sort of disease. Honestly, Logan couldn't believe it. Bauer had ruined his life, and now… Bauer's girlfriend? It seemed that, even being in surgery and about to die, Bauer managed to somehow ruin everything in some indirect way.

The President corrected him instantly, "Because the evidence implicating the Russians is too potentially lethal. And I just can't cover it up". Now she had to confront Logan about his part on the cover up. So, she added, "I'm sorry you didn't get your… second chance in the sun".

Charles found it odd that Taylor used that exact same expression. But it had to be merely a strange coincidence. A bit awkwardly, he said "Well, my own personal disappointment aside. It's really a loss for the world".

"Yes, it is" The president agreed firmly.

Ethan stepped in the conversation, "Charles, I personally wanted to thank you for calling me, offering your help _as soon as _you got that information". He purposely stressed _'as soon as'_. The State Secretary had gone back to work barely ten minutes after Allison visited him at the clinic with the news of Hassan's kidnapping. He had seen the President so devastated, that he decided to do whatever he could despite his bad health condition. By then, Logan had already called him twice. Then he added, "By the way, you never told us exactly when you got this information. Must have been after Hassan was murdered"

"Of course" Logan rushed to assured them without thinking, and feeling truly uncomfortable. He was about to make an excuse to leave fast.

"Yet, you left the first message in my voice mail at 7.30 AM", Ethan pointed out somberly, but secretly glad he had made Logan slip. He didn't need to add that at 7.30 AM Omar Hassan was missing but still alive. Ethan had checked the exact time of Logan's first message when Allison came back from CTU saying that Logan had known about the Russian's plans for months.

"Yeah, you are right…" Logan conceded nodding with a finger over his mouth as if he were just recalling that. "I got the information after the kidnapping" Then he said awkwardly "but what's going on? I feel like I'm being accused of something. When all I did was try to help. But since I'm no longer needed, I'll leave". He started heading to the door and turned to Allison, not forgetting his manners "if you excuse me, Madam President"

"I don't" Allison burped abruptly with her arms folded in front of her and a very icy stare. "No games, Charles. I'm giving you a chance to come clean. When did you get that information?"

"I already said very recently!" Charles was extremely outraged.

"Then I'm certainly impressed", Ethan stated clearly being ironic. "You were awfully well prepared to deal with the problem, considering you had known about it for such short time".

"_There's no luck. Only readiness to seize an opportunity"_, Allison recalled that part of a recorded conversation. So she added acidly, "I truly envy your… readiness to seize an opportunity"

Now Charles was extremely confused. She had quoted him twice now. But, what did that mean? How did she know what he had said? He exclaimed puzzled, "excuse me?"

Then the President said dryly "look at your pin".

"My pin?" Charles wondered what his pin had to do with anything. But then suddenly he got a horrible feeling of déjà vu. But how was it possible? He took the pin off and stared at the back of it in disbelief. A micro-transmitter was there, attached to the American flag pin. Still dazed, he muttered, "This is insane"

That confirmed everything President Taylor had been told. Ethan just shook his head and stared at the former president with a face that expressed, _'oh, Charles…. You really are a moron'_. Then he told the other man calmly, "The President is willing to offer you an opportunity". He pressed his lips together trying to cover the disgust that man gave him, and then announced "Charles, you wanted to repair your public image. That won't happen. But it doesn't have to get worse. You can still do one thing right and give the President all evidence you have…"

"I have no evidence", Logan assured as firmly as possible. "That's what I told the Russians to keep them at the table. But I was playing poker with them. I was just bluffing."

Ethan gave him a very angry _'Don't take us for idiots'_ look. "So… You called President Suvarov claiming to have evidence against him and he went right back at the negotiation table, without even making sure you weren't lying. He never demanded to see such evidence first? Are we supposed to believe that?"

Charles had a smug '_believe what you want_' face. Knowing she didn't have much choice, Allison offered a bit reluctantly "Give me that evidence and I won't charge you for treason".

Charles just looked mortally offended, and stared at Ethan and Allison as if they were crazy. In a fury, he defended himself "Treason? I did what you asked me, Madam President. I kept the Russians at the table!"

The Secretary of State wanted to beat himself up for ever getting Logan involved in this matter. Absolutely sick of that man, he lost his temper. "Damn it, Charles! You purposely hid information that could have stopped the terrorist attacks this country suffered today! You knew President Hassan was going to get killed and you allowed that to happen because it served your own convenience! You deserve to be hung as a traitor!"

Full of indignation, Charles yelled back at the other man, "I only did what was best for this country. As always! I acted with the best interest of the American people at heart."

The President still couldn't believe how Charles justified the most atrocious things. She realized she wouldn't get his cooperation. They would have to go after him publicly. If he wanted the circus of a public prosecution, that would be up to him. She just told him very sarcastically, "And I'm sure the American people can't wait to thank you for this last favor of yours". She got much closer to him with a stare full of hate and rage. Then with the most presidential tone she was capable of, she commanded, "Charles… Get the hell out of my office".

**11****:30**** AM**

Dalia Hassan was sitting in front of Allison Taylor, who was just looking at her sympathetically, giving her a moment to take everything in. Dalia's entire body was shaking. As she finished processing everything the two women had just discussed, she stared at the beautiful black box with a pen inside that was still on the desk. Dalia had brought it before being aware of everything. The box said in golden Arabic letters 'كل الاديان, وكل هذا الغناء. أغنية واحدة. والسلام عليكم.', which meant '_All religions, all this singing. One song. Peace be with you'._ Dalia could still hear her late husband reciting those words with pen had been meant for Allison to sign the peace treaty. It was a symbol of Omar's most perfect idea. It was a symbol of all he had ever worked for. Now he was not only gone but his legacy was destroyed. She had hoped so badly to at least keep Omar's dream alive.

Allison could see the woman was understandably crushed. She stood up, circled her desk and tentatively put a hand on Dalia's shoulder in support. "Dalia, I really don't know what to tell you. Except that we can work together to seek justice. And if we unite against our common enemy, we'll accomplish at least that… justice".

"Make that call. I'm ready now" Dalia simply announced nodding stoically, trying to restrain her tears. At this point, justice was really the best she could get. They had already talked about the next steps. But she had just needed a short moment to absorb everything first. It was simply too much to chew.

Allison moved towards the phone on her desk, nodded meaningfully and pressed a button. "Patch him through", she ordered the assistant on the other side of the line. Then, barely concealing the repulsion in her voice, she said "Mr. President? This is President Taylor, I'm with President Dalia Hassan"

"Madam President, Mrs. Hassan… I admit I'm surprised that you need to talk to me so urgently since I'm landing in half an hour", Yuri commented getting nervous but trying not to show it. What could be so important that couldn't wait till his arrival to the U.N? It couldn't possibly be any good. But last thing he had heard, Allison was willing to ignore his actions and cover them up for the sake of her precious agreement.

"We are calling to inform you, that sadly the USA and IRK are withdrawing from the peace agreement", Allison explained calmly, still trying to maintain her tone polite.

Yuri then knew he had been truly busted. The evidence had gotten out and that bitch of Taylor had changed her mind about covering it up. He wasn't sure whether his personal involvement was out, though. Trying to keep up the appearances, he feigned surprise and disappointment. "But we were so close. May I ask what happened?"

Both female presidents exchanged glances. As much as they hated that man, it was far too soon to directly call him on what he had done. So Dalia simply hinted, "I believe you know".

He definitely had strong suspicions. But he had to find out exactly what they knew. Still trying to sound innocent, even offended, Yuri Suvarov said, "With all due respect, Madam President, you are cancelling our summit when I'm about to arrive from Russia. Long trip for nothing. I deserve to know what's going on."

"Yuri, President Dalia Hassan and I will give a press conference together as soon as our staffs coordinate our communication strategy", Allison revealed that fact trying to keep her tone neutral. Then she added in a much firmer and sharper manner, "I'd keep my TV on".

"I gather there's no reason for me to see you then", Yuri noticed, beginning to corroborate his worst suspicious.

"There isn't", Allison confirmed.

"In that case I'll order my pilot to take me back to my country", he informed the women, as he simultaneously began to frantically gesture his assistant to do just that.

"Do that fast", Dalia encouraged with a threatening tone, not being able to help herself.

Having no more to say to that man, Allison hung up the phone. Then she took the box with the pen, assuming that since there would be no peace agreement, sadly, she would have to give back that beautiful gift. With a lot of pain in her heart, she handed it back to Dalia, "I'm truly this can't happen. And I'm deeply sorry that he's gone".

"Please, keep it, Madam President", Dalia suggested with tears in her eyes. And then she took the American President's hand in a warm friendship gesture. "Omar was absolutely right about you. You are a truly honorable woman… a partner worthy of trust. Given that… and after justice is properly served… there's no reason why we shouldn't try again to work together for a meaningful peace. So I want you to keep that pen for that day".

Allison was so profoundly moved. She couldn't believe she had almost ruined everything. She shook her head feeling undeserving of so much praise. "It'll be a real honor to work with such a strong, smart and admirable woman. You will surely make your country and your daughter very proud", Allison said Dalia sincerely, but she couldn't continue talking without choking up.

Ethan was waiting outside the presidential office with a folder. He observed Dalia Hassan, who had her black head scarf on, leaving the office as Allison escorted her. It was amazing how two women of so different places and cultures could have so much in common. He and Dalia greeted each other politely as she passed by him.

Allison was very glad to see him right then, she truly needed him, "Ethan, please, come on in".

The day had been horrible on so many levels. But he had never felt prouder of Allison. He never thought he could respect her, or secretly love her, even more. He couldn't help a tiny smile of pride as they both walked into her office. He left the folder over her desk, "I had some ideas about the public announcement I wanted to share with you, Madam President".

Allison nodded and took a seat behind her desk as Ethan sat in front of her. She put her glasses on as she began reading. She just couldn't believe it was actually happening. Everything had fallen apart. It was truly over. Soon the world would know it. It was just so hard. She knew it was the right thing. She was sure of that. But the pain of losing the one thing that had kept her going for the past year was becoming too unbearable. She had tried to be strong in front of others. But right there and then, she felt she wouldn't be able to take it anymore. She took her glasses off and left it over the desk.

Ethan had to fight hard the urge to hold her tight. He could see her hand shaking as she put the glasses over the desk, and he could see her eyes damped. But he reminded himself that crushed or not, she was the President. He needed more than ever to remember that. "Madam President, if you need a moment I can come back later…"

Allison noticed to her disappointment that he was about to get up and leave like a politically correct Secretary of state. But that wasn't what she wanted. She was desperate to talk to her best friend for a moment. Rather un-presidentially, she held his hand to stop him and begged softly, "No, don't go". Ethan seemed to get it and held her hands between his. "Ethan… You know I considered covering it up. And I finally didn't do it. I couldn't. But… God, I wanted to… I so wanted to". She felt so bad about it. She tried to explain herself, "I've lost so much for my presidency… I guess I thought that if I made this treaty happen…" She then got too choked up to say another word.

But Ethan knew exactly what she was trying to say. He knew her too well and he had already noticed that Allison had turned the peace agreement into something very personal. "It's okay. I know. And I know how hard this was for you. But you did the right thing". He smiled at her encouragingly. Then, he added honestly, "for what's worth, I truly don't think this is a case of now or never. We can definitely work to build a better peace, at some point. A peace actually based on trust and honesty"

Ethan couldn't promise they would be able to do that. But his commitment to the cause they shared was real. Allison was deeply moved. Ethan had always been the one man standing there when she had lost everything else. She got lost looking into his eyes for a moment. Then she stood up a bit nervous. Ethan stood up fast as well. He never sat down when the president was standing. She got closer to him, not being able to ignore how she felt any longer. "Ethan… today I almost lost you too. But I didn't… you are still here"

"Allison" Ethan whispered overwhelmed, they were getting dangerously close. And he was inappropriately enjoying her proximity and the smell of her perfume. Allison was trying to point out that, against all odds, they still had one chance to be together and they should take it. But she was the President and he was her Secretary of State. It was wrong and improper, but extremely hard to resist. "You think this is a good idea?"

"It probably isn't", she had to admit. But it was amazing how little she cared about that fact. She got even closer to him until their lips were merely inches from each other and put her hands on his back.

Once it was more than obvious that she was giving him the green light, Ethan did what he had wanted to do since the day they had met. He held her firmly and kissed her on the lips with consuming passion.

'_There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures'. _In other words: '_It's now or never_', that is actually one very terrifying thought. But sometimes a real miracle can happen. If you are truly lucky, you might get a second chance to seize that opportunity you had foolishly let go.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**(Thanks for reading. Please, tell me what you think, I appreciate all reviews!)**

Next: It's the end of the second part of this series. Kim arrives to see her dad. Jack's surgery is finally over. But Renee still has to deal with a great amount of guilt.


	17. So, I guess this is goodbye

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thanks so much for the love and support! You are amazing. It makes me SO happy. = )

Last chapter was difficult, and so was this one. I tried to stay real with the characters but getting the result I wanted, which was not easy. So, here is where this part of the series ends. I hope it doesn't disappoint you. Some things are left to be resolved or clarified on part 3 of the series.

I'm glad most of you really liked that I made Allison do the right thing fast in this story. I think the writers of the show took Allison to an extreme her character was NOT capable of. There were a few specific moments (from hours 19 to 23) when I was sure Allison would go all 'tell-tale heart'. But not even that pen did it. The scene where Allison threatened Dalia devastated me (But I must hand it to Cherry Jones, she totally rocked it).

By the way, the most difficult part while writing last chapter was to decide _how _Renee should talk to Allison. But it was something I wanted to play with. Those two were, by far, my favorite characters from the last two seasons. There might be some Renee-Ally friendship moments in part 3 of my story.

The conversation between Charles and Jason in the car in chapter 14 of this story is based on a real scene-extender I caught on internet. So it was implied that Charles lied about getting the information 'recently'. But I felt cheated because we never knew exactly when. Also, he told Allison that the two of them plus Novakovich and Suvarov were the only ones aware of Suvarov's personal involvement in the conspiracy. But what about his 'sources' in Moscow? The sources that could, somehow, plausibly deny even knowing him? That hole in the plot bugged me.

Finally… I admit that my _'Martha Logan got the Intel' _explanation is as lame as the infamous '_Henderson purposely missed the artery_'. I know it was some lazy writing from my part. I'm sorry. I don't even know how the woman found out about the conspiracy. But I thought the adoption part was plausible.

Well… done rambling! Enjoy!

**SERIES: Everything went downhill from there**

**PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE**

**Previously:** Renee and Jack dated for seven weeks. Then she learned she was pregnant, but the pregnancy turned out to be non-viable. Feeling devastated, she left Jack without telling him anything. (Part one)

Jack got dragged back into working for CTU NY when he found out President Omar Hassan's life was in danger. Renee was asked to help CTU NY with the crisis too. Jack noticed she's truly messed up and not ready for the mission she had been sent to, but since he couldn't get her out of it, he got himself in, to look after her (chapter 2 and 3). As the mission failed, he winded up getting tortured and almost killed. After Hassan got murdered, Jack and Renee powerlessly abandoned CTU.

Renee sees at the crime scene a Russian called Pavel Tokarev posing as an ETM, who she had met during her first mission with Vladimir, but failed to recognize him. Then she and Jack get back together.

Pavel wrongly believed Renee recognized him and tried to take her and Jack out. He shot at Renee first, but Jack jumped in front of her taking the bullet instead.

**Disclaimer:** The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!

**CHAPTER 17:**

**SO, I GUESS THIS IS GOODBYE**

**M****AY 21****st**** 2018**

**01.30 PM – United Nations Building**

At that moment, Angela Nelson, the White House press secretary, was the most important person in the world for all the dozens of reporters gathered in the press room. They needed information. And they needed it at that second. Everything had gotten pretty strange. After the tragic and shocking death of Omar Hassan the peace agreement had fallen apart. But when Dalia Hassan was chosen by her people as her husband's successor it had seemed for a moment that the peace summit was back on track and a press conference had been scheduled at 11 am. However, then the conference was cancelled, so was the peace summit, apparently. They needed to know why. What the hell was going on? They had all tried to investigate as much as possible, to no avail. There were only crazy rumors going around. Tons o them, actually. But no real information.

Angela walked towards the podium and instantly every man and woman in the room began calling after her while waiving their hands frenziedly, most reporters directly shouted questions at her. They were all speaking at the same time. "Please" she said as she desperately gestured at them to calm down. As the crowd quieted down a little, she began announce formally, "ladies and gentlemen of the press… President Allison Taylor will make a statement regarding the tragic events of this morning and the cancelation of the peace summit. So will President Dalia Hassan. But they will not take any question for the moment". She gave them a serious 'please, behave' look. She added, "I'll answer what I can afterwards". Then she looked to one side and a secret service agent nodded to let her know both Presidents were ready. So she made the formal announcement, "the President of the United States and the President of the Islamic Republic of Kamistan".

Dalia and Allison walked into the room together and stepped in the podium. Kayla and Ethan remained on a side observing them along with Jamot, the Prime minister of the IRK. Allison got closer

"My fellow Americans", she began as usual looking directly at the camera. Then she instinctively glanced briefly at Kayla and Dalia before adding, "And friends from foreign lands". Then Allison continued candidly, "I speak to you now with a heavy heart. The brutal and cowardly murder of Omar Hassan was a blow to every civilized person in the world. I join with the American people in mourning him and every innocent life that was lost during the course of this crisis". Now came the hardest part, she took a quick look at Ethan for support. Then she sighed deeply and kept on. "I would have liked to stand here and say that, in Omar Hassan's name, this historic summit will move forward. But, sadly, I cannot say that. Grave crimes have been committed in the run-up to this treaty and justice must be served before there can be a meaningful peace. For now, this peace process has come to an end". Allison stared at all crowd for a moment, then she took notice of the cameras and photo flashes. Naturally, people from all over the world were watching her this moment on TVs. It was no secret how hard she had worked for the peace agreement and how badly she had wanted it. The disappointment was written on her face. So, without bothering to cover how pained she was, added, "Today seems clearer than ever that our destiny is not of our own choosing". She looked down saddened for a moment. But then she stared directly into a camera and said firmly with a firm and strong voice "We did not seek nor did we provoke such an assault on the peace we had worked so hard to accomplish. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. But that's what has occurred against our wishes. So we must pick ourselves up off the floor and rise up. That's exactly what we'll do. I know sometimes it feels like we have exhausted our capacity to bounce back, but I firmly believe such capacity may very well be limitless. And we will accomplish in a future what we wished we could have accomplished today. It'll be harder. It'll take longer. But it will happen. And It will be my honor to work for it with the new leader of the IRK, a woman of unparalleled courage and strength, Dalia Hassan… Thank you…" Allison gave a few steps back and gestured for Dalia to take over the microphone.

**Meanwhile****- Saint Andrew's hospital**

Jack had been in surgery for four hours. Renee had nothing left to do but wait, sitting in one of the chairs by the waiting room. That was driving her insane. Her left leg kept kicking uncontrollably the floor. Leo was watching the president's statement through internet with his cell phone. Renee took a small glance too. It was a relief knowing at least that was over. Then they both saw Elizabeth walking towards them with her backpack.

"Well, my ride to the airport is here, I came to say goodbye and give you this…" She said as she handed them a lunchbox with sandwiches and two bottles of water.

"Thanks", Renee said politely, although she was not interested in eating anything. Then stood up and took the other woman aside and spoke to her a bit awkwardly, "Agent Stockard, I truly appreciate everything you've done. I'm aware of how much you sacrificed to unmask this conspiracy… and I don't know what to say" Renee knew exactly what the other woman had to be feeling. But they were practically strangers. Discussing the topic was definitely out of the question. So, she simply said the words she herself would have liked to hear after each one of her missions with Vladimir, "there'll be justice because of you. They'll pay for their crimes thanks to your efforts".

"I had no choice. It was my duty", Liz said modestly. Then she added with genuine regret, "I'm truly sorry I couldn't stop the Russian before he could…"

Renee already knew Liz had stopped Pavel with an electric shot, but he had already pulled the trigger of his rifle. But she cut the blonde woman right off, speaking somberly, "I didn't recognize him... and you tried to warn me and I ignored your phone calls… what happened to Jack is my entirely fault". Renee's eyes were coming close to getting damped by tears. She noticed the other woman was about to protest. Liz was probably about to say something nice but really false to make Renee feel less guilty. But she didn't want to hear it. She blinked the tears away and then interrupted the other woman, "Anyway, your son is waiting for you in Florida. Right? Go and hold on to him, Elizabeth". Then she added solemnly, "This mission is over now. Don't you waste another second on it, okay?" It was clear that she meant 'psychologically'. Not to get stuck in all the darkness and hatred was honestly the best advice she could give anybody at that moment. '_Do as I say, not as I do', _Renee thought to herself.

"The mission is over for you too. You and Jack will get to go home soon", Liz pointed out to give Renee some encouragement, and then she smiled a little and gave the other woman a hug in support.

Renee was completely taken by surprise, but she hugged her back, although a bit awkwardly. She definitely wasn't used to being friendly with new people.

She then went back to her seat with her arms folded in front of her chest, feeling the familiar tightening sensation on her throat. Back to just waiting uselessly. She hated that so much. Once again, one of her legs seemed to have a mind of its own and kept hitting the floor anxiously.

Liz then looked at Leo, who was staring back at her sadly. Neither one of them could truly say a world for a moment. Then Leo embraced her tightly as he stated, "So, we made it, Stockard. It's over".

"Yep, we made it to the end of the line", she announced with a small smile of pride.

But Leo didn't want to let her go. It had suddenly hit him that the ending of the crisis meant they would no longer work together, and that fact depressed him. He realized how much he liked seeing her every day and talking to her. He had to break the embrace, but kept holding her hand as he confessed painfully, "You know? When you became my partner I actually wanted to be alone… but now… I… I really don't want to say goodbye."

Liz smiled relieved to hear that. She didn't want to say goodbye either. But that wasn't what she was saying. She reasoned, "Right now I need to be with my family, and you need to be there for your friend…" Leo looked sad, but didn't disagree with her reasoning. He simply pulled her closer for another tight embrace. Then she looked into his eyes and assured him firmly, "But this isn't goodbye, Craig."

Leo leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. He had wanted to do that for such a long time. And to his delight, she replied by kissing back with desperation. Suddenly, they remembered they were at a public place and pulled away from each other. Liz was blushing. Leo smirked and gladly inferred, "so… that means see-you-later, right?"

"Definitely", she confirmed with one solemn nod. Then she kissed him again and added tearfully, "I'll call you as soon as I land".

"You better!" he gave her a serious stare as he said that. "Look… until the dust settles completely, I want you to pretend you have a big red target on your head. I need you to stay in touch and be extremely careful… extremely".

His hazel eyes stared at her with concern as he waited for her promise. So she nodded reassuringly, "I promise". Then she kissed him again on the lips and added, "but you be careful too. Okay?"

"Am I not always?" he asked rhetorically with a confident, borderline smug, smirk.

They kissed again, and then Liz tearfully decided to leave quickly, before their non-goodbye became more than they could both handle. Leo just watched her part sadly. But he knew it was only a brief goodbye. They both simply had different obligations at the moment. But they would meet again soon to continue what they had started.

As he took a seat next to Renee, he realized he had done the right thing. His friend was in a miserable shape. Her skin looked paler than ever, except for the black circles underneath her eyes, and her lips looked almost purple. Her blood pressure could be too low. "Maybe you should eat something", he suggested nicely.

But she completely ignored that idea. She felt too sick to eat anything. Instead, she purposely made the conversation about her friend, "So, you and Elizabeth? When did that happen?" Not that she felt like chatting. But at least they wouldn't be fixating on her.

"Officially, it didn't happen… yet", Leo clarified, putting special emphasis in the 'yet' part. He and Liz had flirted back and forth for months, worked together and he had just kissed her. But that didn't make them 'a couple'.

"You should go with her", Renee said with a defeated tone, knowing very well that there was no point in even trying to convince him. Leo would stay as her babysitter no matter her objections.

Predictably, Leo totally disregarded her opinion. He simply handed her a sandwich and a bottle of water. "And you should eat… or at least have something to drink".

It was then that she noticed how thirsty she was. Her mouth was dry. She instinctively reached for the bottle of mineral water. But as she held it in her hands she was suddenly unable to move an inch.

"_I am so thirsty."_

"_Me too" _

"_Do you want me to get you something to drink?" _

"_Yeah" _

"_Okay… I'll be right back…. Don't move."_

Leo watched her reaction with deep confusion. Renee was staring sadly at the bottle. He had no idea what was wrong, but her expression had grown even darker all the sudden, which he had thought was impossible. Feeling very puzzled, he babbled, "Renee? What is it?"

A lonesome tear rolled from her eye down her cheek. And then she moaned, "What have I done?"

**01.45 PM – HOTEL PLAZA, Manhattan, NYC**

After realizing he had gotten caught, the former President had decided to go back to his hotel room while he still had some time to do the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He still had to summon the courage to do it though. So, at the moment, he was just drinking scotch and watching the news on the TV with Jason Pillar. The celebration they had planned would never happen. Instead, they were drinking in order to feel less miserable. "Jason, you should try to run away before they come after us".

But Jason knew he wouldn't be able to pull that off. Sooner or later he would get caught and his ocean of trouble would grow even deeper. He just looked at his boss very sadly. "I'm afraid there would be no use in that, sir", he said and finished his drink. Then he asked, "Will you make a deal with Taylor?"

"She won't give me what I want. This was my very last chance. And it was taken away from me. It's all over… for good", he felt so hopeless. He walked to the desk and wrote down an address and information about a bank account in a piece of paper. "But, Jason, if you want immunity, everything is right there", he told him as he handed the paper to Jason. Then he finished his drink, a 'Johnny Walker', his favorite kind of scotch.

"But, sir…" Jason tried to protest, with confusion. He had never seen Logan as depressed.

"You've been my only real ally", Charles said cutting the younger man off. "Now… consider this a thank you gift… and leave me alone".

Jason took the paper, put it in his pocket, and made his way out of the room slowly, in a daze. He had a horrible and strong suspicion about what Logan would do. He didn't know what to say.

Charles waited until Jason wasn't looking. He quickly took a bottle he had handy and smashed it harsh against the younger man's head. Logan then stole the gun Jason, now unconscious, always carried and explained, "I only want to borrow this. I don't have mine with me".

Charles definitely didn't want to live. He was too sick of living in disgrace, and he had nobody to live for. His last chance to resurrect his political career and clean his public image was gone forever. His entire body was shaking. He was terrified. But he wouldn't back down. He put the gun to his own chin and pulled the trigger.

**05.30 PM**** - Saint Andrew's hospital**

Renee entered the room of the ICU and walked towards the bed where Jack was lying unconscious after the surgery. He probably wouldn't wake up until the following morning, but he was expected to make a full recovery. Still, she gasped horrified as she took notice of all those tubes and machines. Then she brushed the tears from her eyelashes, pulled a chair closer to his bed and held one of his hands between hers. "Jack… it's me…" She caressed his cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry. Oh, God… I'm so sorry about everything. I'm sorry I kept you away from your family. I'm sorry I've caused you so much pain". She then carefully put a hand over his chest just to feel his heartbeats and his chest moving slowly up and down with every breath he took. She was so thankful that he had made it. She took again his hand between her hands. "I have something to tell you before you wake up…" While one tear ran through her cheek, she admitted softly, "I love you, Jack… I love you more than you'll ever know." She held his hand closer to her heart for a moment, and then she just kept holding it between hers. "I didn't think I was capable of loving this way again. Honestly, I didn't want to fall in love ever again. It hurts too much. But I couldn't help it and I fell in love with you. That was a real miracle. You know? You actually gave me my life back the very first time you kissed me and then again this morning". Then she sighed and repeated with a soft whisper, "This morning… You have no idea how much it meant to me that you took me in your arms and made love to me even after… after… everything…" A lonesome and silent tear rolled down her cheek, as she continued saying "You made me feel flawless and complete for one perfect little moment. You truly gave me my life back. I wish with all my heart I had something worthy to give you in return. I wish I could spend the rest of my life making you happy…" A tear rolled down her cheek. Jack deserved to be happy and it really broke her heart when she thought of all the pain Jack had gone through because of her. He had almost died at least four times in fourteen hours because of her. "But look what I did… look what happened… look what I've done to you…" She then broke down in soft sobs.

**06.00 PM**

A nurse showed her the way to her father's hospital bedroom. Kim went quickly where she was told and opened the door anxiously. Renee instantly turned around, startled. Kim headed to her father's bedside while she addressed the other woman, "Ms. Walker, how's he?"

"He's going to be fine", Renee assured her with huge relief. Jack was so amazingly strong.

Kim took her dad's hand, glad to hear he would recover. But once again she had almost lost him forever. Getting all choked up, she spoke to her father gently, "hi, dad, I'm here… you'll get well soon, okay? Everything's gonna be fine". She pulled an empty chair closer to the bed and sat there, after taking off her jacket and hanging it on the chair along with a bag. Both women were side by side watching him. Kim took her dad's hand, but then she spoke coldly to Renee, "I talked to Chloe."

Renee already knew that so she nodded unsurprised but feeling very awkward. Truly dreading the potential answer, she asked tentatively, "did she tell you what happened?"

"Yes", Kim replied dryly and didn't add anything else.

Then there was an extremely uncomfortable silence in the room. Until Renee finally told the other woman gravely, "Kim, I swear to God, I would have given anything to take that bullet instead of him"

After a while of looking into Renee's eyes curiously, Kim finally nodded with certainty as she affirmed, "I know".

Then she added with some coldness back in her tone, "I just don't understand. You left him. He thought you were in Germany. So… how come you are now… here? Since when do you work at CTU?"

"I don't. They asked my help just for the day… I didn't know your father would be there too", she whispered sadly as she remembered seeing Jack on the night before. She was hit by yet another lighting of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Kim. If I hadn't gotten in the way he'd be in California by now", she said barely managing to keep her voice steady. "It was all my fault. He… he was about to leave, but he stayed working for CTU to get me out of trouble".

Kim just looked thoughtful for a moment. She wasn't even surprised. She was just sad because there was always something keeping her dad tied up to the world of CTU. She hated that place so much. She sighed resignedly and just said, "That's who he is".

Renee knew that already, of course. _'But if only I hadn't messed everything up in the first place…'_ Renee thought to herself as she looked down sadly, the guilt was truly eating her alive.

Noticing how sick Renee looked, Kim took pity on her and suggested, "Ms. Walker, now that I'm here, you should probably go get some rest". For a moment, Renee just stared at her with confusion and blinked quickly. Then Kim added gently, "He won't wake up till tomorrow anyway".

As right as Kim was about that, Renee didn't want to leave. However, she now felt like one useless intruder. She searched desperately in her brain for something she could do to help. Then, she stood up and babbled nervously, "I should…actually… I should go get some things your dad will need when he wakes up".

"That'd be great. Thank you", Kim agreed with a small smile of appreciation.

Renee squeezed Jack's hand softly. Then she walked towards the door and, right before reaching the door and then left the room. She saw Leo talking to one of the CTU Agents who remained watching the hospital, just as a precaution. It looked like her friend was nodding along somberly, as if he were listening to bad news. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Leo made excuses and took her aside, "O'Brian needs me at CTU, for a debriefing …" He also had to go to ID William Prady's body, which had been found recently. Then, feeling truly awkward, he added sadly and "By the way, I also have some news about Dana Walsh…."

By the expression on her friend's face, she could tell what was going on. She shook her head on denial as she muttered outraged, "So the bitch got her immunity deal. I can't believe it."

"Look, I know that sucks… ", Leo began saying sympathetically. He wasn't happy either.

"You think?" Renee interrupted sharply, and clearly upset. "She helped those IRK bastards… and she worked for…"

Leo quickly said somberly, "You don't need to tell me".

"I know…" she muttered with frustration. Then she stared sadly at the closed door of Jack's hospital bedroom. She knew for Jack it would be something difficult to accept too. Leo rubbed one of her shoulders in support. Then she tried to act unaffected again as she stated, "well, I'm gonna get some things for Jack".

She walked away like she was just going to the grocery store. Leo was surprised for a moment and then rushed to stop her, feeling very worried. "Wait! You are going to the apartment?"

"That's where he keeps his things" she stated, like it was no big deal.

"I'll go with you", he said automatically.

"You don't have to. I can handle it", she assured him as firmly as she could. She knew it would be difficult going to the apartment again, but she had to deal with that and be strong.

He rolled his eyes. "I know you can… but…"

She sighed with frustration and turned around to face him. "I don't need a babysitter!" Then she lowered her tone a little, attempting to sound more in control than she actually was. "Look, you said you are needed at CTU, so go to CTU. I'm fine". After saying that, she left walking as fast as her legs allowed her to. She didn't give her friend any chance to protest.

**06.30 PM ****– Chelsea, Manhattan – Jack's apartment **

Renee took a deep breath to summon the courage she needed. Then she opened the door and walked into the apartment. She swallowed hard and blinked with angst as she took a quick look around. For a moment, her gaze fixated on the rounded hole that was in the window. It suddenly felt as if she had a similar hole in her very heart. But she had promised to herself to be tough.

She headed to the bedroom. The white sheet stained with Jack's blood was still there. She hastily got a plastic bag and threw that sheet away. Then, in an impulse, she threw away the covers as well.

"_You okay?"_

"_Perfect" _

"_Promise?"_

Being in his arms had been perfect, indeed. But now she knew some Russian bastard had been spying on them all along, lurking and waiting for the moment to kill them. It made her feel so sick of the stomach. So she forced herself to stop thinking about Pavel. She had to think about Jack.

She spotted Jack's brown leather bag. She put in it some basic items like a toothbrush, a tooth paste, a comb, a small towel, a razor, his shaving cream and after-shave lotion. She also took his favorite cologne, Ralph Lauren Polo Black. She couldn't help to smell it before putting it in the bag, she adored it. Then she got his favorite navy blue t-shirt and a pajama pant, for him to wear at the hospital.

But as she got ready to leave the apartment something caught her eye. Two glasses with water over the counter.

"_Do you want me to get you something to drink?" _

"_Yeah" _

"_Okay… I'll be right back…. Don't move."_

Moved by instinct, she slowly approached the counter. Standing still in front of it, she just stared at those glasses not being able to stop thinking about that morning. She could feel her lower lip trembling and blinked desperately trying to avoid the tears.

She was suddenly startled by the sound of sirens outside the window.

_Lying here in the darkness I hear the sirens wail… _

_Somebody going to emergency, somebody's going to jail  
If you find somebody to love in this world you better hang on tooth and nail _

_The wolf is always at the door  
In a New York minute everything can change…_

_In a New York minute things can get a little strange_

Abruptly, a wave of rage overtook her completely. With one quick motion, she swept the glasses of the counter. The glasses smashed against the floor, next to the dining table. For a few seconds, she just stared at the shattered glasses in a small pond of water. Then she sat on the floor with her elbows resting on her knees and her face hidden by her hands. After that, she began crying and shaking uncontrollably.

**M****AY 22****st**** 2018**

**08.30 AM – ****Saint Andrew's hospital**

_She got up from the floor in a fury and nailed a knife deep in Vladimir's eye. He screamed in pain and tried to grab her arm and stop it. But she immediately stuck a knife into his heart, knocking him down. She was full of hatred and wanted to kill that Russian bastard. She got on top of a now visibly dead Vladimir and kept stabbing his upper body. Completely out of the blue, somebody else grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from Vladimir's body. She instantly turned around and stuck her knife into the other person's belly in one quick motion. When his gaze met hers she realized it was Jack. She was shocked and horrified as she watched helplessly Jack crumbling down to the floor, groaning and flinching in pain, with the knife still sticking out of him. _

Renee woke up startled and sweaty. Her entire body was hurting like hell. She had fallen sleep on the chair next to Jack's bed around 4 AM, with her head resting on the foot of the bed. She saw Kim sitting by the head of the bed, reading a magazine while Jack continued sleeping. "I fell asleep", she mumbled dumbly.

"That's okay. You must be exhausted", Kim said, knowing very well how a day at CTU could be like.

"I'm fine", Renee lied right away.

Later, Kim went to get a cup of coffee. Renee then sat on the chair by the head of the bed, took Jack's hand and squeezed it gently. This time he tried to squeeze her back. She stared at him surprised for a moment wondering if that meant he was waking up. They had said he could either wake up either that day or in the afternoon. "Jack?" She called his name gently. His hand moved like trying to reach for hers and it seemed like he was trying to open his eyes, "It's okay, Jack… it's okay".

Jack was so extremely confused. His mind was still foggy. When he opened his eyes, he could see it was actually her. "Renee?" his throat was very sore, his mouth was dry and his chest was hurting badly. "What happened?"

"Well, you were shot. But you're gonna be all right", Renee said while caressing his cheek.

Jack looked around at the hospital bedroom. Everything was starting to come back to him. He remembered reading that message and then listening to that audio file, a conversation between two Russians.

"_Then, it seems unlikely she recognized you."_

"_Better not to take the chance. I'll take out Bauer too, while I'm at it."_

"Russian…" Jack was trying to tell her what he remembered but he could hardly speak, and he was getting truly agitated as well, "wanna kill us".

"I know. But everything is fine now, Jack. It's all been taken care of. I'll tell you all the details later", she assured him. She didn't want to burden him with all the details of the crisis. "Now you should rest".

"You okay?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

She closed her eyes to concentrate solely in feeling Jack's touch. That felt good. But she thought for a moment about his question though. She really wasn't okay. She wasn't coping with everything the way she should. She felt incredibly unstable and very vulnerable, which drove her absolutely insane. She also felt like poison, more than ever. But she was talking to the man who had been in surgery for about ten hours, because of her. So she wasn't going to whine or even care at all about her own feelings.

"I wasn't shot", she merely stated the fact with a _'don't-worry-about me'_ tone. Then she looked down and away. Yet another strong wave of guilt hit her hard. She felt so close to crying. She wanted to find the right words to show Jack just how much he meant to her. But no words seemed good enough. She looked amazed into his gorgeous green eyes. Then she managed to start saying, "You saved my life. You… you took a bullet for me". But then she couldn't keep talking because she got too chocked up. She could hardly breathe.

"It's okay", Jack said dismissively. He so didn't want her to feel beholden. To him, it had been the right and natural thing to do. He was glad he had been successful in saving a woman he loved, for once. He was also glad that he had seen that warning on her phone. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have known he had to pull her down and… Well, God only knew what could have happened. It terrified him to even imagine. He took her hand between his hands. Life was definitely too unpredictable. There was something he had to say right at that second, just in case. The words definitely scared him. But he was afraid that if he didn't say those words right there and then, he would never get a second chance. So he whispered softly as he squeezed her hand, "Renee, I… I love you"

Her eyes got all teary. She was so profoundly moved. Too many contrived emotions invaded her soul. She was happy to hear him saying that, and at the same time she was scared, she couldn't understand why he loved her and she was sure he shouldn't. But at that moment, there was only one thing she could say, "I love you too, Jack". Then she kissed him very softly on his lips.

**

* * *

****May**** 31****st**** 2018**

**Chelsea, Manhattan – Jack's apartment **

**3 AM**

_The cramps in her abdomen were stronger than ever and the blood kept flowing from her womb. Her entire body was aching. She was in a very dark and small room. And, for reasons she couldn't understand, her hands were tightly tied to the back of a bed. She began panicking, "Jack! Help me! Please!" The door of the room began opening. She felt some hope. "Jack?" Then she was horrified when Vladimir entered the room with a knife on his hand. His face looked butchered. But that seemed not to affect him. _

"_He won't rescue you. He hates you, he hates you… you make him sick", Vladimir told her with a triumphant smile. _

_Renee shook her head in helpless denial. But then Vladimir stabbed her in the stomach. _

Renee woke up startled and struggling for air. She felt strong and sharp pains in her abdomen. She tried to take a few deep breaths and calm down. She picked up the sheets and the pillow, which had winded up in the floor during her restless sleep, and lied down on the bed. She was spending the night alone in the guest room while Jack slept in his own bedroom. He had been released from the hospital two days before and was actually healing quite fast. He was overall doing all right. In two weeks, he would be able to flight across the country and move to L.A. to be with his family. He didn't need Renee staying in his way any longer. And they had already talked about everything they needed to talk.

She stared at the ceiling, knowing that going back to sleep would be an incredibly difficult task. Everything she had discussed with Jack kept haunting her. Her heart was breaking in little pieces. But she knew she was doing the right thing. She told herself it was better this way. She was making the right decision.

**4.15 AM**

_She got up from the red couch and went to Vladimir's bathroom to put her clothes back on. Once she was fully dressed, she left the bathroom and went back to Vladimir's office. The Russian smiled victoriously and drank some vodka. But Jack was there too and just looked at Renee with profound loathe and disbelief. "You cheated on me!" Jack yelled looking hurt, "You let him touch you, how could you?" _

"_I had to do it. But… I love you, Jack. I love you", Renee said with honest desperation, and tried to stop him in vain. But Jack left the place immediately. _

"_He hates you, Renee…" Vladimir gloated with an arrogant grin. "First he pitied you, but now he thinks you are repulsive… he hates your guts". Then he stuck a knife right in Renee's womb._

Renee jerked awake and gasped for air in horror. She realized it had been a nightmare. But that didn't make her feel any better. Feeling absolutely helpless, she just hugged her pillow and cried herself to sleep.

**06.00 AM **

_Renee was wearing an apron and blissfully cooking dinner in the kitchenette of Jack's apartment. Then, she heard her baby crying. She went to the baby's room but gasped in horror when she saw Vladimir standing next to the crib and staring at the baby girl like examining her. "Stay away from her!" Renee demanded. But Vladimir ignored her and picked up the small baby, who had red hair and green eyes. _

_Renee launched against him to try getting her baby back. But it was useless. As with one arm Vladimir held the tiny baby, with his free hand, he smacked her across the face, making her fall. From the floor, Renee begged, "please, stay away from her! Stay away from her!" But he just walked towards the window with the baby in his arms. She just cried and begged uselessly, "No! Leave my baby alone… Leave her alone…"_

"_You are a dirty bitch! And this is what you deserve…" After saying that, Vladimir opened the window and then threw the baby to the street. Renee quickly jumped after her to try catching her. _

Renee abruptly woke up after falling from the bed. She remained on the ground trying to catch her breath. She felt like she had been hit by a trunk. She was sweaty and her entire body was shaking. She couldn't even get up from the floor. She just grabbed the pillow and used it to muff the sound of her sobs.

When she was finally able to get up, Renee realized it was morning already, so the time had come for her to leave. She quickly put on her black skinny jeans and her light blue shirt with elbow-length sleeves. She finished packing all she owned in her new small black suitcase and her big backpack, which Jack called 'escape-bag'.

**06.30 AM **

Jack kept staring at the cereal damped on milk inside the boll. He couldn't eat it. He was supposed to eat it, but he couldn't. He was just not hungry. He was too distraught by everything Renee had told him the night before.

He took a glance at the window of his living room and his expression darkened. The window had been replaced and there wasn't even a drop of blood on his apartment floor. So it looked like nothing had happened. Everything looked exactly like it had just moments before the shooting. If only they could go back. He would give anything to go back when they were naked and happy in bed together. He wanted that moment back. For days, he had believed they could have that back. Now it was all so messed up.

His thoughts were interrupted by Renee walking out the bedroom. His eyes met hers during a silent and very awkward moment, neither one of them knew what to say. Then Jack noticed she was carrying her bags. He was momentarily surprised. He couldn't believe she was actually gonna do it. Jack gaze went from the bags to her with the disappointment and the sadness showing clearly in his green eyes. "You were serious then", he muttered still genuinely in disbelief. He blinked nervously a few times looking down.

She could hardly stand seeing him so hurt. As if she didn't feel enough guilt already. She looked down and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "I never meant to hurt you. Someday, you'll understand why I have to do this…"

"I understand right now", Jack said bitterly resigned. "You are leaving because you can't even look at me anymore without thinking about all the horrible things that happened, all the pain and…" With his voice breaking, he finally managed to mutter with difficulty, "and… what was lost".

Automatically, Renee felt every muscle of her body tensioning. "Please, don't…" A tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it with the back of her hand. Mustering all the strength she needed just to get through this conversation, she admitted painfully "Look, it's not your fault, Jack. But you're right... I just can't touch you or look at you without thinking about all the terrible things that happened…" But she rushed to clarify very firmly, "_because of me_… it was all my fault… everything I had to do that night… and everything I did to you… I just can't forgive myself for that".

Jack stood up and walked towards her. "Please, listen to me. I know you feel guilty." Even if Renee hadn't told him so herself many times, he would be able to read in her eyes the guilt she was feeling. And he hated that she felt that way. But he knew that feeling was inescapable, you could only swim through it. "I understand that kind of guilt and I know it feels like you damage everything you ever touch". Jack had felt that way every day of his life for so many years. He got closer to her and squeezed her hand tightly. "But I know that we can get through this. We can talk about it and get through this. I know we can because… that morning… that morning you _could_ be with me and forget about everything else… I took you in my arms and you said you were perfect… you said it"

"What the hell did I know then?" Renee whined in despair. She couldn't believe he didn't understand. Of course she had felt perfect, she had forgotten absolutely everything just for that moment, but then the shooting brought her abruptly back to reality. To make her point, she lifted up Jack's t-shirt to make the bandages around his abdomen visible. "Look what happened… look what I did… what I've done to you…"

"Please, Renee… you have to let that go. You have to forgive yourself. You have to", Jack sounded desperate. And he knew that, but he didn't care. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. And he couldn't stand to see all the pain she was carrying inside.

"I'm sorry. I can't", Renee said after swallowing the lump of angst in her throat. Jack looked down seeming crushed. It was killing her. She got closer to him, put a hand on the back of his head and gave him one last kiss on the lips. She kept her lips pressed against his for as long as possible. Then she whispered, "Please, don't hate me". Finally, with her eyes clouded with tears, she forced herself to pick up her bags and leave the apartment without looking back.

**THE END OF PART TWO**

**(Please, tell me what you think!) **

**This story will continue in part three of the series. It's titled "The ride with you is worth the fall" and will take place in Washington DC = ) **


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